


Fate of an Assassin

by TheyBwtterBeTogetherB4IDie



Category: Magic Kaito, 名探偵コナン | Detective Conan | Case Closed
Genre: Assassin!Shinichi, Assassination, Betrayal, Crossdressing, Doubt, Illegal Activities, M/M, Reunion, Trust, Undercover
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-04-07
Updated: 2017-08-15
Packaged: 2018-03-21 19:33:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 23,143
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3703131
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheyBwtterBeTogetherB4IDie/pseuds/TheyBwtterBeTogetherB4IDie
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>On that fateful night, Kudo Shinichi no longer existed. Taken into the Organization at a young age of 3, he is trained to be an assassin and as the years pass, he becomes the best of the best, and is known under the codename of Shinigami. He lives his undercover life as Edogawa Conan, a bespectacled teen who is a famous high school detective and is often known as the Detective of the East. His life is full of deceit and lies, a repeating process of lying and killing. That is until he is charged with the new task of assassinating a certain thief.  However, it seems that this thief is more durable than most and just refuses to die.</p><p>Nostalgic violet eyes stare into bright blue sapphire eyes under the moonlight and the assassin cannot help but wonder at the strange feeling of belonging whenever he sees that gentleman thief.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> First FIC!!! Please tell me how I did :)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> On that fateful night, Kudo Shinichi no longer existed. Taken into the Organization at a young age of 3, he is trained to be an assassin and as the years pass, he becomes that best of the best, and is known under the codename of Shinigami. He lives his undercover life as Edogawa Conan, a bespectacled teen who is a famous high school detective and is often known as the Detective of the East. His life is full of deceit and lies, a repeating process of lying and killing. That is until he is charged with the new task of assassinating a certain thief. However, it seems that this thief is more durable than most and just refuses to die.
> 
> Nostalgic violet eyes stare into bright blue sapphire eyes under the moonlight and the assassin cannot help but wonder at the feeling of belonging whenever he sees that gentleman thief.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to Azrayah for helping me with the Italics and giving tips on the format!!!
> 
> Last Edited: April 30, 2015

"Yes, yes, Yuki-chan, we're almost there," the blonde woman sighed with annoyance but there was fondness evident in her pale blue eyes, "but honestly, I can't believe you just left Shinichi-kun with me like that! He's barely over three years old and you should at least bring him along with you next time."

"Sorry, Sharon-chan! But I really had to accept that offer! Just think about it! I get to be a part of the first movie to portray Yuu-chan's book! Don't worry, I'll make it up to you somehow. Anyways, is Shin-chan awake right now?"

"God, Yuki-chan," Sharon Vineyard said exasperatedly, glancing at the adorable child she had placed in the car seat next to her, "do you realize what time it is right now?"

"Um...forty-five past nine?"

"At night. And how old is your son?"

"Three?"

"So?"

"...so?"

"He may be intelligent and mature for his age but he's still _three_ , Yuki-chan, not a ten year old or a teenager! I would be surprised if he's still able to stay awake right now."

Sharon glanced at the digital clock on her car. It was almost time.

"Ah-ha...ha-ha," the sheepish laughter came through the phone, "I guess so..."

Last minute calculations went through her head and she smiled, her eyes focusing onto the next extreme curve on the treacherous mountain road.

"You really are a―AHH!"

The silver minivan hit the guardrail hard and swerved off the side, disappearing into the large expanse of forest beneath. A large boom soon followed, lighting up the whole night sky.

O_^ DCMK

A search was ordered immediately of the forest and the burning remains of the silver minivan were found but neither of the expected bodies were ever recovered. The case was then closed as nothing more than an accident and staring at the scene of the accident, Kudo Yuusaku narrowed his eyes while comforting his wife, Kudo Yukiko, within his arms.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next Chapter: A New Target


	2. A New Target

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Is this really vacation for him? Or just a new prank that Vermouth decided to set on him?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First chapter!!! Took me FOREVER to type this! At least that's what it felt like... Anyways, comments, criticisms, all accepted, and if anyone knows how to do that italic and other stuff, please tell me? :) Thanks.
> 
> Thanks to Azrayah for helping me with the Italics and giving tips on the format!!!
> 
> Last Edited: May 06, 2015

Bright, cerulean blue orbs located the target behind the eyepiece of the gun. His gloved fingers tapped the trigger repeatedly, just enough pressure so that the sniper rifle wouldn't accidentally go off. Calculating eyes stared emotionlessly at the man the gun was locked on and a bullet whizzed through the air as one finger finally pulled the trigger.

The teen, only around sixteen years old, watched calmly as the bullet hit home and the man crumple to the ground. Quickly gathering the things he left beside the sniper rifle, he disguised himself as a teenage girl with short black hair and dark brown eyes in a light brown coat and a short pencil skirt. He hid the black clothing he previously wore within his new disguise and the disassembled gun in a small violin case. Smoothing his skirt down, his left hand, still wearing the gloves, hoisted the case over his shoulders and he checked one last time to make sure he hadn't left any traceable evidence. Descending the rusting stairway, he exited the abandoned building and made his way to the nearest crowded place. Blending into the crowd, he dialled a number on his phone. The song _Nanatsu no Ko_ sounded on the phone.

"Yes?" a distinctly female voice answered.

"Vermouth. I see you're with Him again."

She giggled, "If it isn't our best assassin, Shinigami-san, or should I say, Shin-chan?"

"Both are horrible names. I just wanted to report that the target has been erased."

"What'd you do this time? Snipe? Close kill? Or something else?"

"The first one. I didn't want to spend the whole night in disguise. Too much work."

"But let me guess, you're all dressed up right now, aren't you?"

"None of your business, Vermouth."

"Yes, yes. God, don't be so shy. I know you look super cute as a girl."

"Vermouth..."

"Anyways, you have a new assignment. Rather, I'd call it a vacation, considering your next target will be someone fun. Hopefully, he'll make you, a hopeless, stressed, antisocial person to actually loosen up a bit."

"I'd be dead then. Who is it?"

"You know that thief that you faced off some time ago? The absolute romantic?"

"Romantic?"

"That's what his fans say. Anyways, you know, the Moonlight Thief, Heisei Lupin, etcetera, etcetera?"

"Kaitou KID?"

"Yes, it seems our dear Snake has been having too much trouble with that adorable thief. So, what do you think of him?"

"KID? Who knows. I wouldn't want to tell you anyways. You do the weirdest things with such information."

"Oh, you mean like the last time I photo shopped that picture of you and Ran? That was very entertaining."

"Was not. I'm hanging up now."

"Hey, wait-!"

He hit the "end" button and snapped the cell phone shut. Entering the sky train station, he bought his ticket and boarded the sky train heading for Beika.

O_^ DCMK

The shrill ring of the alarm woke him as he blinked at the morning sun. Glaring at the cursed ball of light, he shuffled to the bathroom with a vacant look in his usually sharp eyes and started brushing his teeth methodically. It was only after his second cup of black coffee that he finally began to wake up. Yawning for the nth time in the past twenty minutes, he studied this morning's newspaper carefully and thoroughly. The article on the third page caused him to raise his eyebrows slightly.

\---

BUSINESS OWNER JOHN WELSTONE SNIPED  
As Reported by Kisaragi Tamako

Last night, at the gathering of some of the more prominent business owners, an unfortunate incident occurred. John Welstone, age 46, and the owner of the company "Welstone", a sports store, was sniped at the dinner party held on the sixtieth floor of the Kyoto Hana Hotel. The floor is completely surrounded by the windows that are see through and the revolving floor allows a clear view of the city, 360˚.  
At approximately 8:36 p.m., Welstone was sniped straight through the head and it has been revealed that the sniper most likely was on the roof of an abandoned building about 250 meters away. According to reports, there is no traceable evidence that could be found. Family and close friends of Welstone say that he had several enemies in the business world but none likely to hate him enough to wish him dead. Police are still working on the case though it is unlikely that any further progress will be made.

\---

Reporters indeed have eyes and ears everywhere.

Finishing his third cup of black coffee, he got up and washed his cup just in time for the doorbell to ring.

"Conan-kun? Conan-kun! You only have five more minutes until Sonoko and I leave without you!"

“Yes, got it!”

Edogawa Conan rushed to his room to get dressed and picked up his useless oversized glasses and his school bag. Stepping into his shoes, he opened the door and yawned.

“Really, did you sleep late again yesterday?” a girl with waist-length chocolate-brown hair and friendly blue eyes studied him worriedly as he locked the door. Another girl with short light-brown hair smirked beside her.

“Worried about your husband, Ran?”

“Sonoko!” the girl blushed as she swung her bag playfully at the other girl.

“Can’t you guys be a bit quieter in the morning?” Conan grumbled, heading through the gates in front of his house.

Immediately, Ran stopped and jogged next to Conan, an apologetic look on her face. Sonoko, on the other hand, sauntered up behind the two.

“Lovebirds.”

The whispered word caused Ran to screech in embarrassment and her whole face went bright red.

“How many times have I told you, Sonoko, Conan-kun and I are not a couple,” she grumbled at the laughing girl who was convinced the two were made for each other. Conan continued to walk on, sidestepping the occasional swings or karate moves, amusement in his eyes. They passed through the school gates, entered the school, switched to indoor shoes and made it to Class 1-A just in time for the bell to ring. Ran and Sonoko rushed to their seats in the fourth and fifth row while Conan strolled up to his seat in the third row next to the window. His neighbour Kurosawa-san greeted his politely and he returned the greeting with a slight tilt of his head before seating himself in his desk. The teacher, a nice young woman near her thirties named Sawamura Rin, entered the classroom a few minutes later to begin class.

O_^ DCMK

Conan waved goodbye to Ran as she headed up the stairs leading to the agency, an annoyed look on her face when she heard the distinctive guffawing of her father probably watching his “beloved Yoko-chan”. Conan sighed. The old geezer was hopeless as a detective, and without any work coming his way other than the occasional person searching for their lost pet, he was almost always drinking in his office watching reruns of the idol “Yoko-chan”.

Closing the gates behind him, he paused at the doorway before slowly opening the door. It never hurt to be cautious after all, especially with his extremely contrasting day life and night life. Taking off his shoes, he quietly drew out the gun he always hid on himself and approached the library. Pulling back the safety, he threw open the door and pointed the gun at the dark figure standing at the window against the setting sun.

“Hands up, and state who you are.”

“Whoa, there, Meitantei-san. It’s just me.”

It took Conan a couple of minutes before he finally registered that annoying lilting voice and the figure’s identity.

“Oh. KID.” His disinterested voice and expression causing the other to pout.

“Meitantei-san, is that all you say after the famous Kaitou KID comes to greet you himself? I’m disappointed.”

“You’re not exactly a threat right now, at least not to me,” Conan replied, lowering the gun and moving forward to sit in one of the armchairs, “what do you want?”

“Well,” the thief moved to sit in the armchair across from Conan, “I wanted to congratulate you for almost catching me, the elusive Phantom Thief. Although very entertaining, the addition of Tantei-san to the Keibu’s little force was still very much a disappointment. He isn’t able to provide the battle of wits that you were able to give me last time at the Clocktower Heist.”

“Thanks for the compliment. Is there anything else?” the other boy asked while taking off his glasses to clean them.

“Really,” the thief pouted, “the one detective I actually praise treats me like air.”

“Please, KID-san,” Conan sighed, “I did not even really acknowledge your existence until a few weeks ago, when Sonoko had Ran drag me to your heist. Honestly, I do not understand why that girl is so infatuated with you and wants me to capture you for her. I deal with homicides. Murderers. Not thieves with a sense of honour.”

“Well, you’re going to have to start dealing with one from now on, my charming Meitantei-san,” the thief smirked, “anyways, I came today to personally invite you to my next heist.”

Out of nowhere, a white rose was conjured within the thief’s hand and he offered it to the stoic detective who raised his eyebrows and stared for several minutes before taking the rose. The magician thief sighed with relief within himself as it had gotten awkward just offering the rose like that. He watched the other boy eye the rose with obvious suspicion before allowing the rose to settle on his lap.

“Now are you finished?”

“Yes, yes,” the Heisei Lupin drew his top hat even lower as he reached over to pat the Heisei Holmes affectionately on the head, messing up the other’s neat hairstyle. His hand was swatted away and he received an intense glare to which he laughed at.

“Well, I’ll be expecting you there, Meitantei-san,” KID stood up and stepped back before giving one last smirk, a tip of his hat and disappeared in pink smoke.

A small piece of paper fluttered to the ground, where the thief had been standing just a second ago. Conan glanced at it wearily and got up to pick up the piece of paper with a white cloth he had withdrew from his jacket’s inner pocket, and read it.

_To my lovely Meitantei-san, ___

_I welcome you to the game!_

___The castle for the old in_  
_Our contemporary society_  
_I shall steal_  
_The night that resides there, too._  
_Deuxième jour va être ton date._

_\- Kaitou KID_

Conan grimaced at the flowery background and pink hearts surrounding the heist letter. Reaching the conclusion that the thief was crazy beyond rescue, he dialled a familiar number on his cell phone. 

“Yes? Division 1, Megure-keibu speaking.” 

“Ah, Megure-keibu,” he said in a bored tone, “for some reason KID decided to drop by and leave a heist note. Can you pass the message on to Nakamori-keibu that I’ll drop everything off at the office tomorrow and that I’ve already figured it out? Oh, and please include that KID left no evidence here. He’s way too careful to do that from what I’ve heard from a certain Hakuba Saguru-san. The last thing I need right now after a crazy thief’s visit is for the Taskforce to run down my house and my poor ears going deaf. Can you do that for me?” 

His tone of voice gave no other choice. 

“Ah…sure, Edogawa-kun. That’ll be fine…” 

Conan ended the phone call and returned the gun with the safety on back onto himself and dragged himself to his bedroom to start doing homework. 

He had no reason to hurry after all. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next Chapter: Transfer Students


	3. Transfer Students

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The combination of an annoying prankster who's actually KID, a Sherlock Holmes obsessed British detective and an assassin playing as a famous high school detective can only spell: T-R-O-U-B-L-E.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to Azrayah for helping me with the Italics and giving tips on the format!!!
> 
> Last Edited: May 06, 2015

Conan woke up the next morning with the same ritual he did every day; drink coffee. Ran and Sonoko knocked on his door with the same playful bantering about husband and wife although Ran kept on insisting that it wasn’t like that, leading Sonoko to accuse Conan of cheating on Ran. How she came to that conclusion, he had no idea nor any intention of finding out why. The girl was almost as crazy as the thief. Not strange, considering how big of a KID fan she is.

He entered the classroom just as the bell rang and was in his seat a minute before the teacher came. Sawamura-sensei entered the classroom with an extremely flustered look on her face as she began attendance. When she was finished, she had to take a deep breath before making an announcement.

“So, class, we have two new transfer students from Ekoda High School to Teitan High School. Please come in,” she called to whoever was outside the classroom. 

A boy with blonde hair and blue eyes entered followed by another with messy chocolate-brown hair and slightly violet eyes.

“Please introduce yourselves.”

“I-”

Before the blonde could say a word, the other boy immediately stepped in front of him with a mischievous grin on his face.

“Greetings everyone, I am Kuroba Kaito, soon to be magician extraordinaire!”

He snapped his fingers and with a small puff of smoke, there was a red rose on the desk of every girl in the classroom.

“And this grouchy person,” he indicated the blonde as if he wasn’t anyone important, “is Hakuba Saguru, who has been defeated by the great KID-sama I don’t know how many times.”

“Kuroba!”

“Yes, Hakuba?”

Another snap of his fingers and the blonde’s hair turned a bright blue. At this point, everyone except Conan, who was staring outside absentmindedly, was laughing hard enough for tears to come out at the comical sight before them.

“Boys! Quiet down please!”

Everyone finally quieted down, save for the few giggles and chuckles from here and there.

“Ah…Kuroba-san and Hakuba-san, you guys will be sitting…let’s see…yes, Hakuba-san, you’ll sit in Kurosawa-san’s seat in the third row and I need Kurosawa-san and everyone after him to move two seats over so we can keep the alphabetical order. Kuroba-san, you’ll sit beside Hakuba-san. I trust you two will be able to find someone to show you around the school.”

Everyone got up and started moving and the two transfer students went to their respective seats.

“It is nice meeting you. I am Hakuba Saguru. You are…?”

Conan turned around at the voice to see the blonde speaking to him. He stared at him for a moment, making the other boy squirm before replying with a slight smile that never reached his eyes.

“Edogawa Conan. Nice meeting you as well,” he accepted the blonde’s handshake before turning back to look outside again.

Just a desk away, Kuroba Kaito had been watching the two detectives meet for the first time from the corner of his eyes and the smirk on his face only widened.

O_^ DCMK

The bell rang to signal the start of lunch, but before Ran could run over to give the forgetful boy a bento, Kaito pounced on Conan with a playful smirk.

“Hey, Edogawa-kun, right? Can you show me around the school?”

“Kuroba!” the blonde rose with an annoyed look on his face, “Don’t you dare show disrespect to him!”

“I’m not!” he pouted, “I’m only trying to make a friend!”

“Well, you’re-”

“It’s alright Hakuba-san. I can show you two around the school.”

The quiet voice coming from the bespectacled boy caused the other two to stop and look at him.

“Well…if you don’t mind, Edogawa-san.” Hakuba said nervously.

“Great!” Kaito jumped back up holding Conan’s hand, “Then let’s go!”

Ran watched wordlessly, a blue bento in her hands, as Kaito dragged Conan out the classroom doors with a loudly complaining Saguru following right behind.

“What’s the matter, Ran?” Sonoko came up behind her.

“No…it’s just,” the girl paused, still dazed, “it’s just that I think that was the first time someone other than you or I approached Conan-kun and were able to get such a favourable response out of that detective freak.”

“You’re right,” the other girl mused, “I wonder what it was in those two that got your husband so interested. Maybe he’s going to cheat on you?” the girl gasped in horror.

“Sonoko!”

O_^ DCMK

“If you go down this hallway, you’ll find the washrooms. The gym is that way,” he led them towards the gym and pointed out two rooms on opposite sides, “and those are the changing rooms.”

Kaito whistled as he strolled over to the windows to look at the schoolyard.

“So…this is a slight upgrade from Ekoda, don’t you think so, Hakuba?”

“I still don’t think it was worth leaving Nakamori-san behind for,” the blonde muttered, “but for the sake of monitoring you, the Kaitou KID, I am prepared for anything.”

“Hakuba! I’ve told you, like, a million times that I’m not KID! He may be my biggest idol, or whatever you call it, but I am only his biggest fan, nothing else. Besides, I’ve proved myself not to be the Kaitou KID so many times.”

Conan watched silently as the two continued to argue, studying the boy named Kuroba Kaito. Certainly, the boy and KID were so similar it’d be impossible to deny the assumption that he’s KID. He could see why the blonde was so aggravated. However at the same time, there was no solid evidence to prove that Kuroba is KID.

“Edogawa-san, you must be the famous Detective of the East, correct? What do you think of this?”

Conan’s eyes widened at the question directed at him. He looked at Hakuba in silence, then at Kuroba before replying in a quiet voice.

“If there is no solid evidence, I cannot just apprehend Kuroba-san here. I see how and why you are doing this, Hakuba-san, but I believe that it would be rather foolish to arrest a civilian without something to prove your accusations,” he said, taking in Hakuba’s clear frustration and Kuroba’s undisguised glee, “however, I should also mention that compared to homicides, Kaitou KID is a rather more…playful case? To make things clear, I would rather finish solving homicide cases rather than just go chasing after Kaitou KID whenever he sends a heist note. Anyways,” he concluded, “please excuse me; I should be getting back now.”

A shocked Saguru stood next to an even more shocked Kaito as they watched Conan return to class. Kaito was the first to break the silence.

“Did he just say KID’s not important?” he whispered with trepidation.

“I believe so, Kuroba-san,” Saguru replied dryly, “the bell’s going to go soon. I, no, we should head back for lunch before it does so.”

“Yes,” Kaito said, following Saguru back to class with an extremely gloomy look on his face.

O_^ DCMK

There had been no pranks in the afternoon. Not even a single prank. Saguru glanced at the still sulking Kaito with a worried look. There hadn’t even been a prank on him, usually Kaito’s favourite victim for such things. A quiet Kuroba was a dangerous Kuroba, he knew that much, and things were not looking well. Teitan High’s Class 1-A may have not experienced a humiliating prank by Kuroba Kaito so far today, but if Hakuba’s hunches were correct, things would only get worse.

O_^ DCMK

Or not. By the end of school, Kaito was back to his usual self, at least from what Saguru could see. Already in the last period, he had played three pranks on the whole class. There would have been a fourth one had Conan not overstepped the wire intended to switch his uniform for something more revealing.

“Conan-kun!”

The mentioned boy ignored the voice and kept on walking to his shoe locker.

“Conan-kun, Kuroba-san’s calling for you…,” Ran tried unsuccessfully to tell the bespectacled boy.

“Ignore him,” the reply was brisk and firm as he changed his shoes, “Ran, I need to head to the station today. Can you get home by yourself?”

“Eh? What for?”

“Something I received yesterday. Can you?”

“Of course I can. I am a black belt in karate,” the girl smiled, the barest signs of a threat behind it, “see you tomorrow!”

Conan watched her go down the road before turning to head towards the police station, only to come face-to-face with the one and only Kuroba Kaito, followed by an annoyed-looking Hakuba Saguru.

“Conan-kun! You’ve been ignoring me the whole time!”

Conan paused before giving a slight smile.

“I’m sorry, but I’m kind of in a hurry right now, so please excuse me. I’ll see you guys tomorrow, Kuroba-san, Hakuba-san.”

Then without waiting for a reply, he sidestepped the two and continued on his way, leaving behind a disappointed Kaito and curious Hakuba.

O_^ DCMK

Hakuba locked the door behind him, trying, and utterly failing to ignore the rummaging sounds coming from the kitchen. For monitoring Kaito, he had bought a house in Beika so that he wouldn’t have to do long commute from Ekoda to Beika every day.

“Kuroba-san, I assure you that I do not have any chocolate here. In fact, I’ve barely stocked on anything right now, considering the fact that I have just moved here. Besides, what are you doing here? Please do not tell me you plan to stay here.”

“What are you talking about, Hakuba, I’m already stocking your cabinets and refrigerator with the best stuff ever! Of course I’m going to stay here for now. Besides, it’s not like anyone else is going to be living in this big empty house, you could make do with some company.”

“Namely, you?”

“Who else would be thoughtful enough?” Kaito grinned happily, then gasped, “Don’t tell me you were thinking of Aoko!? How could you!” he stood up and wagged his finger at Hakuba condescendingly, “Tell me, what were you thinking?” he continued as Hakuba’s face flushed a deep red, “Were you having dirty thoughts, Haku-chan? Tsk, tsk, I never thought you would be like this. Aoko will be so disappointed,” he shook his head mockingly.

“Kuroba-san!” Hakuba managed to force out, “Please refrain from such indecent words that trigger even more indecent thoughts!”

“So you were thinking of something dirty, Haku-chan!”

“It’s Hakuba! Not Haku-chan! And I did not think of something dirty!”

“ _Really, Hakuba-kun_?” Aoko’s voice trilled out from an extremely amused Kaito.

“Wh-! Kuroba-san! If this continues, then I bloody swear that I will throw you out of this house!”

“But you won’t if I stop?”

“Huh?” the blonde had to pause for a second to register the question before giving up, “Yes, you can stay if you stop.”

“Yay!” Kaito started bouncing in excitement, “We’re going to have so much fun, Haku-chan! Besides you should thank me for filling up your cabinet with such delicious food,” he nodded firmly to himself.

Hakuba groaned, “Kuroba-san, I sincerely do not believe that a cabinet full of chocolate can be considered appropriate for a proper meal. Ice cream does not count either,” he added when he saw Kaito trying to point out the ice cream, “besides, where did you get the money for all this?”

“I don’t know,” he grinned openly, “where do _you_ think?”

Hakuba’s eyes widened as he quickly threw open his bag to search for his wallet.

“Kuroba!” he screeched, “Do not tell me you used _all_ that money to buy this stuff!”

“Tch! Oh well! You’re just going to have to deal with it, my dear Haku-chan!” 

O_^ DCMK

Conan stepped off the sky train and headed towards the police headquarters, his eyes taking in and studying everything around him. The sky was gradually getting darker and the streetlights lining the two sides of the road lit up, illuminating the big signs of the street shops. People walked back and forth on the sidewalks as they waited for the light to turn so that they could cross the road. Conan shivered slightly and pulled at the black and blue scarf that Ran had given him for his 15th birthday after commenting that he had no sense of style to which he raised his eyebrow at. Fashion was never something he’d thought about as a member of the Organization. Black was the to-go colour for assassinations, while impersonations and disguises meant copying another’s outfit or choosing the simplest pieces of clothing. He had his school uniform and a spare, and all other clothing items were merely randomly bought in case Ran or Sonoko made him go out. As long as they were durable and comfortable enough to move in, he had no complaints.

The mass of people around him started surging forward when the light finally turned and he followed quietly, allowing the crowd to direct him to the other side. The light from the streetlights reflected off his oversized glasses as he made the necessary turns and approached the tall building that was the Police Headquarters. Climbing up the steps, he pulled open the glass door, sighing in relief at the warmth within the building. He walked past the lobby where the front desks were and headed towards the elevator. Pressing the up button, he waited patiently as he took off his scarf and looped it around his school bag. The tinny ding sounded in the elevator hallway that had nothing on its’ plain white walls and Conan stepped into the waiting elevator, pressing the button for the fifth floor before the metal doors slid shut. Automatically stepping to the side due to force of habit, he leaned against the pale green elevator wall with his eyes on the doors until the elevator halted and opened on the fifth floor. Exiting the elevator, he walked down the dimly lit hallway until he reached a room on his left, to which he opened the door and entered.

The sight of white desks placed against each other in many rows, each in its own state of disarray and officers rushing around the room, shouting at each other, greeted him and he had to dodge several people before he made it to the wooden desk where a potbellied man sat. The man smiled when he saw Conan, his mustache shifting with his smile and he quickly ended the phone call he had.

“Edogawa-kun! It’s nice to see you again!”

“Megure-keibu,” the teen bowed his head slightly, “I brought the note that I was talking about yesterday.”

“Ah, yes, the KID note. So, I assume that you’ve already cracked the message?”

“Yes, Kaitou KID will be targeting the _Nuit de Rêves Sombres_ that is currently being showcased at the Beika Arts Museum from May 1st to May 7th. The gem in question is a set of seven black opals, each set in a specific gold casing. The current owner is from France and it is not unknown that she was an avid supporter of Kaitou KID even before his mysterious disappearance. I assume she probably still is. The museum is indicated in the first line, ‘castle for the old in our contemporary society’, and the origin and identity of the gem is given by the fourth and the fifth line which says ‘Second day will be your date’ in French. Therefore, KID will strike on May 2nd, which will be three days from now. The time, I assume, will be at 2 a.m., because the fourth line ends with ‘too’, when there is no need of it. In fact, it would’ve been considered a grammatical error, so I considered the possibility that it’s a homonym.” He glanced up at the inspector, his voice naturally picking up speed when he heard shouting noises outside the room, “Everything else should be pretty much self-explanatory, so I’ll be taking my leave now, Megure-keibu.”

He bowed again at the inspector and stepped back just as the door to the room slammed open and Nakamori-keibu stormed in, his face a rather deep shade of red.

“Where is that damn KID notice!?”

He quickly left the room, a curve on his lips, listening to the retreating sounds of cursing from the Division 1 office.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I realize that the KID notice isn't much of a riddle, but, oh well, I did need something...Please tell me how I did! Thank you!  
> Also yes, Hakuba and Kaito aren't exactly proclaiming that they're best buddies, and Hakuba is still after his ass (no, not literally) to uncover his secret night life as Kaitou KID, but they are still on pretty good terms, even if they won't admit it. In other words, Hakuba is not as prissy as usual. I think.
> 
> Next Chapter: Mysterious Message


	4. Mysterious Message

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When those nostalgic violet eyes stare into cerulean blue and then disappears into the darkness, the detective is only left with a mysterious message in his hands.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Third chapter! OMG, this is taking me so long, but there's so much homework and studying to be done with the finals approaching...anyways, hope you enjoy! Tell me if I made any mistakes :)
> 
> Last Update: May 25, 2015

Red and blue lights flashed around the museum, lighting up the cream-coloured walls and reflecting against the glass windows. A crowd stood behind the yellow tape placed around the building, pushing against the police members standing guard. They waved various KID items in the air and chanted his name continuously, the deafening sound reaching even deep inside the museum, to the room where the jewels were being guarded.

The keibu’s eye twitched and he had to ground his teeth to prevent himself from bursting out loud with language that his daughter often described as “crude” and “inappropriate”. The last thing he needed to do was to explode when there was only 30 minutes left until the heist began. His radio crackled to life and the Task Force reported to him one by one on their current statuses.

Conan stood to one side, watching from the shadows as the members of the Task Force rushed around under Saguru’s suggestions due to last minute adjustments. His usually pale cheeks were still flushed from when the keibu had checked his identity and he gently massaged them from time to time. He studied the contraption that had been used this time to protect the set of seven black opals.

The jewels had been placed in a circle on a small white pedestal in a clear box filled partly with water so that the opals would stay hydrated. The box was suspended in mid-air, about 20 inches from the wooden floor, by four electrified chains placed at each of the corners. There was only one way to remove the lid of the hard glass case and the thief would have to come in contact with the chains, which would only result in electrocution. The outside of the glass case measures 48 cm for both length and height while the diameter of the cylinder pedestal within is 16 cm. The keibu and Saguru were betting on the thief to want the jewels to be kept well-conditioned so they decided to take advantage of this fact and set a trap in order to keep the jewels safe. Conan had to agree that this trap was much better than any other the man had been able of think of at previous heists.

Nakamori-keibu checked his watch. 20 minutes until the heist. 20 more minutes until he caught that damn, insufferable, arrogant and cocky thief. He crossed his arms and tapped his foot with impatience, his moustache twitching every now and then.

“Excuse me, Nakamori-keibu?”

The man turned to glare at the Head of Security, Hidemoto Kondo, a well-rounded man in his fifties and the owner of the jewels, Nadine Angelle, a tall, blonde woman with sparkling pale blue eyes who still retained her youthful looks despite her age.

“What?”

“The _madame_ and I would like to check on the jewels one last time before the heist begins. I hope that is alright with you?”

Nakamori-keibu cringed at the man’s horrible attempt at French to show off to the pretty lady before returning back to his normal scowl.

“You do realize that it is only 20 minutes until the heist begins?” he snapped, barely restraining himself from shaking some much-needed common sense into the man who was supposed to be the Head of Security, “Besides, I assure you that the jewels have not been touched in the last 48 hours. The trap that we have set this time will be tricky even for KID. I had one of my personal contacts to check up on it as he himself dabbles in the arts and is rather good at it.”

“Yes,” the other man gave a strained smile whilst glancing at the lady behind him, “I would just like one last check to make sure the jewels are staying hydrated. It wouldn’t do well for the _madame_ if the jewels are damaged even a little bit, right?”

“I guess so,” the keibu sighed with clear disapproval on his face before stepping aside to allow the Head of Security to pass through. He signalled for the electricity to be turned off and the two police officers standing close to the glass box stepped closer to help the man detach the chains from the box. Kondo carefully placed the box on the ground, his back facing the keibu, and waved the officers to return to their assigned positions. Taking off the lid, he started inspecting the jewels carefully as the keibu tried to get a clear view of what he was doing from behind him. After a few minutes of fussing over the target opals, he placed the lid back on and moved to get up, only to accidentally lose his balance and tip the box over. Panicking, he reached forward to steady the box, tipping it back and forth a few more times before finally settling it. He turned to laugh sheepishly in an apologetic manner at the keibu and Nadine as he took one last look at the jewels in the box, a strange glint in his eyes, and allowed the police officers to reattach the chains and turn on the electricity once again. He started off towards the people in charge of turning on and off the trap, leaving Nadine with Nakamori-keibu.

“So, keibu-san, what do you think KID-san will do this time?” the woman said in heavily accented Japanese and smiled at him charmingly, sadly dazzling the man who was naturally weak towards women, especially foreign beauties.

“Ah…um, I,” he stuttered, a blush spreading as he laughed awkwardly, “I believe that the damn thief will be up to no good like usual, probably attempting to disguise himself as one of the Task Force members and then confusing us while stealing the jewels amidst the chaos. It’s what he usually does,” the keibu muttered the last bit, unwilling to reveal the fact that they were humiliated almost every time.

The French woman giggled at his response, “Yes, the Kaitou KID is an _extremely_ charming thief.”

O_^ DCMK

Saguru studied his watch with his usual precision. 2 minutes and 24 more seconds until the heist. All the Task Force members were in their assigned positions, all in pairs so that the thief would have no chance disguising himself as a police officer. Satisfied with the current plan, he headed towards Conan, who had stayed in the corner near the door this whole time, only to be startled when the lights in the room suddenly darkened.

“Oi! What the hell is going on with the lights?”

“Ah, keibu!” the Head of Security quickly hurried to the inspector, “I just adjusted them. After all, opals contain around 6% to 10% water, and if they dry out, cracks will start to form, so you have to avoid bright lights,” he explained patiently, before adding, “certainly when it’s dark like this, you’re practically begging for the opals to be stolen."

The lights went out completely and the last thing Saguru glimpsed was the other high school detective slipping out the doors into the darkness beyond the room.

O_^ DCMK

He immediately sprang into action as soon as the lights were out. Throwing a sleeping gas in Saguru’s direction, he pushed the box just hard enough so that he would be sure the jewels would slip from the white pedestal right before the lights came back on.

“The jewels!” he cried out, his voice urgent, “Check the jewels! Turn off the electricity now!”

He saw the keibu rush towards the jewels as well and the telltale body movements that indicated that he had seen the jewels apparently floating on the water.

“Step aside, please, keibu! I need to check the jewels!” he pushed the keibu to one side and quickly took off the chains with the help of the police officers and opened the lid. Pretending to inspect the jewels carefully, he exclaimed, “These are fake! My goodness, the thief has taken the real ones!”

As expected, the keibu immediately started shouting out orders.

“Search for KID! Do not lose your assigned pairs and seal off the building. The thief has to still be in here. He couldn’t have run too far!” he ordered, before turning to the two police officers that had stood nearest to the glass box, “Escort Angelle-san to a safe place!”

“Yes, sir!”

He waited until everyone was gone before gathering the jewels carefully into the inner pocket of his white suit hidden beneath the temporary disguise and headed out the doors. Walking as casually as he could, he headed towards the roof of the building; occasionally looking backwards to make sure the police officers were still searching for him elsewhere. He ascended the steps to the roof and opened the door that he had previously picked open. Stepping out into the night air, a poof of smoke surrounded him and he revealed his true identity as the international thief, Kaitou KID. Breathing a sigh, he walks towards the edge, only to stop when cold metal was pushed against the back of his head.

“Don’t move, KID.”

O_^ DCMK

Conan had left the room as soon as the lights went off. He knew that the thief wouldn’t so easily approach the trap unless he was confident that he could breach it, so the best alternative then would be to lie in wait where the thief would most likely be after stealing the jewels. He had navigated the building easily, already having memorized the available blueprint long ago and after reaching his desired destination, he hid behind the wall tangent to the other wall that held the door to the roof, the safety on his gun off and ready for his target, which lead to now.

“Don’t move, KID.”

The Moonlight Magician froze before laughing in that rather carefree manner of his and raised his gloved hands, “Ah, Meitantei-san, how crafty of you, to wait for me on the roof. And to use a gun of all weapons. Are you even allowed to be in possession of that? If I recall correctly, you pointed that gun at me last time as well, when I came to deliver the heist note.”

“I do not believe that there will be a problem if you are no longer able to talk of this. Two can keep a secret forever, if one of them is dead, right, KID?” the cold blue eyes looked at the thief, who returned the gaze with his bright violet orbs.

“Yes, very true, Meitantei-san, but you see, if you knew who you really were, you would never even have the thought killing poor, old me.”

Conan’s eyes narrowed, “What do you mean? Explain yourself, thief.”

KID sighed as he picked up stomping sounds nearing.

“As much as I would like to, Meitantei-san, I’m afraid our meeting…,” he ducked down and immediately disarmed the detective, who was too surprised to let out anything other than an involuntary gasp, “will be disturbed soon, so let us have another meeting under the moonlight , agreed?” he steps closer to Conan, his hand still on the other boy’s right wrist and forced him to turn around, pushing him towards the edge of the roof. Conan’s back hit the railing, but he couldn’t break his gaze from those nostalgic violet eyes that held his own in such a revering manner that confused him. The other hand slipped into his pocket, leaving something behind, while the soft, slightly chapped lips came closer and closer, before suddenly stopping next to his ear and whispering him a parting message.

“It was a fun game, Meitantei-san.”

Smoke surrounded the two and the hold on his wrist disappeared. Conan blinked, registering the absence of the thief and hurried to run to the gun still lying on the floor of the roof, hiding it just as the door slammed open and Nakamori-keibu ran in with the Task Force, covered in something yellow and pasty.

“Where’s KID!?”

“I apologize, keibu-san, but unfortunately, he escaped. I believe that he will be returning the jewels soon,” he walked around the keibu and the police officers, heading for the door, “however, keibu-san, I am disappointed. An opal’s specific gravity is between 2.10 and 2.13, there’s no way they would float on water…unless the thief placed something in there beforehand to support the opals. I am sure that if you allow Hakuba-san to investigate it, he would be able to tell you the specific details. Please excuse me now; I need to be getting home.”

He closed the door without a second thought.

O_^ DCMK

Conan closed the door of his house and checked each room as per his usual routine. When finished, he returned to the library, dropping into the armchair and pulling out the note that KID had slipped into his pocket before he had disappeared.

His cerulean blue eyes widened at the mysterious message scrawled on the paper.

_“I’m glad we could meet again, Shin-chan.”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next Chapter: Assassination Mission


	5. Assassination Mission: Part I

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The damn woman always knew how to get on his nerves.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow...so I haven't updated for a long, long time for this story...
> 
> Ahem, but I hope this chapter makes up for it...?
> 
> Anyways, hope you enjoy :)

The cell phone’s shrill ring broke the silence in the house and Conan’s quick glance at the digital clock beside his bed told him that it was already 3 p.m. He hadn’t been able to fall asleep after reading that one sentence message from KID and it was only around six in the morning that he finally slipped into a light sleep. Dark rings underlined the bottom of his eyes and they twitched with displeasure as he picked up his cell phone that had been charging on the wooden bedside table.

“Who the hell is this?” he growled in a low voice that would have otherwise been considered seductive had he not been woken up in such a noisy manner.

“Ah, Shin-chan! Who do you think?” the teasing voice coming from the cell phone only made him want to crush the black device in his hands even more.

“Vermouth, care to tell me why the fuck you are calling me right now?”

“My, my, Shin-chan, have you not had your beloved coffee yet? I swear you’re married to the drink.”

“Hell, yes, so spit your business out and leave me alone!”

Her playful voice was suddenly gone, “Assassination. Orders from _Him_.”

Conan was immediately awake and listening.

“The information?”

“It should be at your house soon. The cause of death will be poison this time. You know the routine.” She answered before giggling again, “However, I made this mission a bit more fun for you…enjoy, okay?”

The phone call ended and the detective could only feel dread in his stomach after hearing that manipulative woman’s last words to him. Cursing, he dragged himself out of the warm comfort of the black silk sheets of his bed and went to the bathroom to brush his teeth before organizing his room and going downstairs for the only drink that could possibly soothe him right now.

He was nursing his third cup of coffee while reading the morning newspaper when the doorbell rang. Securing one hand on his gun, he moved down the hallway to the door, checking the screen before confirming the identity of the delivery man and slowly opening the door.

“One delivery for Edogawa Conan-san!”

“Yes, that’s me.”

Quickly stamping the receipt, he watched the man leave before closing the door and returning to the kitchen with the envelope and wrapped box. Ripping open the package while being careful not to leave any small scraps of paper anywhere, he pulled out the small pile of papers containing the information on his next target.

The photo of a man in his early thirties was stuck on the top left of the first page. Conan memorized the brown-haired target owning a straight face with a long nose, medium-sized blue eyes and lips pressed together tightly.

“He looks constipated,” he remarked lightly as he moved on to the profile.

_Name: Matsushita Kichiro_

He chuckled at the name of the man. How ironic, to have a name meaning “lucky son” when he had become the target of the Organization.

_Age: 32_

_Height: 175 cm_

_Weight: 80 kg_

_Occupation: Politician_

_Heritage: Half-Japanese, Half-English_

_Relations: Parents confirmed still alive, currently living in Kyoto. No wife. To date, he has broken up with twenty-two women. Keeps his relationships private, although it is already known that there is a different woman on his arm every time he attends a gathering. Likes to target women in their early twenties, current favourite is a woman named Tsukino Manami (see page 5 for more details)._

_Hobbies: Women, golfing, fishing, travelling_

That was the Organization for you. They would dig up every little secret if they were interested in you, and once they were satisfied, you would either end up dead suddenly or go through so many misfortunes that you would think you were cursed. And it seems that this Matsushita-san is keeping a one too many secrets right now. That or he’s gotten too proud for his own good.

_Matsushita Kichiro was originally aided by the Organization. A deal was made that once he becomes an influential politician, he would become an observer for the Organization. However, Matsushita recently began refusing to comply with the demands of the Organization and has threatened to reveal the Organization unless more money is given. Treason is suspected and it has been deemed that he is too dangerous to be allowed to live. Blue print has been provided for the next gathering he will host, at the mansion he bought and renovated four years ago in the mountains, on February 4th. Cause of death will be deemed as murder as he will be revealed to be poisoned by Tsukino Manami after spending time together in his private quarters._

_On date of assassination, Tsukino Manami will be waiting at her house, and will be drugged with APTX-329, then dropped at a location close to the mansion._

Conan remembered that drug. It had been some time since he had to use it on someone, but he still remembered when he was six and Vermouth had taken him with her to discuss a renewal deal with the German organization _Die Zugehörigkeit zu den Schatten_ , a group originating from Germany and dates back hundreds of years, managing brothels all over the continent of Europe. For unknown reasons, their advancements in science were beyond what current scientists could possibly comprehend. It was with these advancements that they were able to continue their line of business and still keep the prostitutes young and healthy, albeit empty of life. He had seen them. They would only stare into space, not even protesting when they were treated roughly. Yet, even when they were harmed, the wounds would quickly heal themselves within a day without leaving even a single scar. The man that had discussed with Vermouth had also taken an interest in him, but the woman had laughed it off, saying that he was unfortunately “off-limits”, to which the man only chuckled at. He hadn’t liked the gleam in that man’s eyes, who had been in his twenties but had apparently quickly ascended the strict hierarchy due to his rather…uncompromising ways. The FBI and several other police organizations had had many encounters with them before after attempting to aid the European governments, but had never been able to take down the organization.

They never revealed to anyone the secrets of their successes, only occasionally dropping hints here and there to the ones they favoured. However, they were more than willing to discuss a deal with the Organization for an extremely diluted version of the original drug mixed with many other components so that it would only render the victim unconscious with memory deterioration within 24 hours. Once the victim wakes up, they would be unable to remember anything of their life, and would be deemed to have amnesia. 

Years ago, the Organization had their first deal with _Die Zugehörigkeit zu den Schatten_ , and tested the drugs. After finding out the drug to be the real thing, they had made a second deal for another batch in order to attempt at recreating the drug themselves. However, the experiment ended in failure, resulting in the two leading scientists to be eliminated. Two years were then spent on cultivating the prodigy of the previous two scientists. When the third deal was sealed and the drugs were secured, the prodigy by codename Sherry was assigned to study the drug and was finally able to recreate it. Since then, Sherry had been able to make several variations of the drug, all under the file of “Apotoxin”, although many were still under experimentation. The Organization now often used it for assassinations or initiating new members who were still extremely young.

Conan read on.

_The assassin will be taking the place of Tsukino Manami and accompany Matsushita Kichiro to the gathering and will proceed to eliminate him, thus framing Tsukino Manami for the crime._

The detective had to read the last sentence again and looked suspiciously at the wrapped box before he realized why the witch had been giggling on the phone.

He had to disguise…as a damn girl.

“VERMOUTH!”

O_^ DCMK

It was Monday. Not that he hated them, but he disliked them with passion. Add on an assassination where he would have to disguise as a _girl_ to the fact that he had barely slept more than five hours planning the assassination _and_ another day of school...needless to say, he was quite irritable that morning.Only after the consumption of five cups of dark, black coffee was he able to finally face humans again, namely Ran and Sonoko. Another cup, this time with some milk and cream, slowly sipped while walking to school allowed him to put up with most social interactions for the day. _Most_.

Then again, Kuroba Kaito was never like most.

“Ah, Conan-kun, good morning!”

Conan ignored the voice that just sounded _too_ hyper and excited in favour of getting to class early. He entered the classroom and shut the sliding door with more force than usual, lips twitching just a bit when he heard the tiny, _manly_ shriek on the other side. Satisfied, he headed towards his seat by the window, sat down and began to organize his bag. At least he had been able to finish the homework due today. Despite his busy night life, his grades were still top-notch, though when the student council had wanted him to join them, he had refused without a second thought. The _last_ thing he wanted to add to his already hectic life was student council where there would only be more work waiting to be finished.

“Conan-kun! That was mean of you, to slam the door in my face! I thought we were friends!”

The whining voice brought him back to the present, and his eye twitched with irritation.

“Good morning, Edogawa-san. I apologize for Kuroba-san’s disruptive behaviour. I’m afraid he ate one too many bars of chocolate this morning.”

This time, he looked up to greet the blonde who was currently organizing his own belongings in the desk to his right.

“Ah, good morning to you too, Hakuba-san. It’s alright, I get the sense that he’s like this quite a lot. I am curious though, do you two live together?”

Hakuba winced visibly before mumbling out an answer, “Unfortunately, Kuroba-san somehow made himself at home at _my_ house and also stole _my_ wallet to buy cabinets full of chocolate and a refrigerator full of ice-cream.”

“Because,” a hand slammed down on either desk, “chocolate and ice-cream are the best!”

“I beg to differ, Kuroba-san,” Hakuba scoffed, “a daily diet of only chocolate and ice-cream is by no means balanced.”

“Well Hakuba, I _beg to differ_ as well,” Kaito shot back, “I am the living proof that even if one is just on a diet of only chocolate and ice-cream, one can still be perfectly healthy!”

“Only you would say that and actually do it,” the blonde detective muttered, averting his eyes.

“Anyways,” the magician had a triumphant grin on his rather smug face as he continued, “both of you were at KID’s heist on Saturday, right? Care to tell me what happened?”

Hakuba sighed, “Not much I can tell you, other than the trick he used this time. I was knocked out as soon as it started, and for _some_ unknown reason, it was _only_ me.” At this point, he was glaring pointedly at Kaito who started whistling while trying to not laugh his head off.

“Poor Haku-chan,” Kaito cooed mockingly, “now can you tell me KID’s trick this time?”

“Wouldn’t Edogawa-san be better for that? It seems that he was the one who last confronted the thief before he escaped.”

The magician immediately turned his attention onto the Detective of the East with almost sparkling eyes, “So, Conan-kun?”

Conan suddenly smiled, the change too fast to be considered friendly, “The thief was quite rough and invasive of personal space that night. He got too close to my liking.”

“That damn thief! He did not do anything...inappropriate to you, Edogawa-san?”

Kaito froze and secretly glared at the two detectives, to think that he, the great Kaitou KID, would do anything as lecherous as what that damn, stupid British detective night have implicated (well, he might have had one too many fantasies of a _certain_ someone...but still!).

The bespectacled boy chuckled, “Oh no, the dove became distracted by the mice, so I was quite safe, Hakuba-san.”

“Thank God,” the British detective let out a sigh of relief followed by a strained smile, “you never know what that thief might be thinking about.”

The magician let out an indignant noise with an offended look on his face and was about to give the damn British detective a good long speech about how such a noble thief would never have such dirty thoughts — he still had his pride, no way was he going to admit anything even remotely related to love in front of Hakuba. However, the classroom door slid open to reveal Sawamura-sensei, indicating that class was about to start, and he could only grudgingly return to his seat.

O_^ DCMK

Conan bid goodbye to the other students who had also stayed after school on cleaning duty, secretly sighing in relief that the magician and the British detective had already went home as soon as school ended. He was already stressed enough as he is and after a day of Kuroba chasing after him for details of the KID heist, he really was rather worn out. Curse Vermouth and her inconsiderate planning. Assassinations were meant to be planned out, especially high-end, attention-seeking ones like his target tonight. It could almost be considered a miracle that he was able to put a main plan together with several escape routes and possible scenarios. Memorizing wasn’t a problem with his experience in this particular line of work, though if it had been an amateur, they would have been without a doubt made a mistake and caught within a few days, and a hit would have been ordered by the Organization within hours. Even with the amount of training and experience that he had, this was a rather risky mission. The reason why he was chosen for this one was probably because of the required disguise and the difficulty. It was without a doubt that he and Vermouth were the most skilled in disguising within the Organization. Not many could control their voices or perfect their physical features to the degree that they could. It was why he and Vermouth got the most undercover jobs compared to others on things deemed important by _Him_. Gin followed close behind with his merciless attitude towards killing, but even then, he was unable to get to that level where Vermouth and Shinigami were. It was why he never really got along with them, and Conan avoided the man whenever he could.

He let out another sigh of frustration. Vermouth had probably found something else interesting to occupy her and just dumped the mission on him. Not that _He_ would really mind, as long as the assassination was carried out with no problems. The woman was a favourite, and he couldn’t really argue too much with her. Not if he wanted his sanity intact.

He reached his house, opening the gates and did his usual checks to make sure no one had come in while he had been gone. The gathering will start at 10 o’clock, so he still had three and a half hours until the event started. Vermouth would probably have the girl knocked out sometime around half past seven, since it had been written that the man would have someone pick her up from her house at eight. It would take at least an hour to get to the mansion, and since the girl was required to arrive early, he would have some time to ‘explore’ the mansion dressed as her. That meant he only had about an hour to get ready.

He opened the door to his bedroom, setting the school bag onto the table and stripping off his school uniform until he was completely naked. He brought out the wrapped box he had received just yesterday and carried it to the bathroom with him. His bathroom was quite big, compared to the usual ones seen in other houses. There was a large bath tub, big enough to fit four, in the middle of the room, and a shower to the far right. A dark burgundy coloured closet was near the shower, filled with fresh towels, and a foot towel rested near it. The countertop with the sink and mirror was to the right of the doorway, and was designed to cover the corner while still having a smooth curve on the other side. Closing the door behind him, he turned on the lights and opened the box, wrinkling his nose when he saw it separated into six smaller sections. One for the dress, which was apparently made of a midnight blue fabric, one to hold the accessories and another to hold the black five-inch high heels. He scowled at the shoes, he absolutely hated heels. They were unnecessarily uncomfortable and not to mention made his feet hurt like hell the next day. This was definitely planned by Vermouth. Only she knew just how much he hated heels. The other three sections held the wig, makeup and perfume. He tried to stay away from perfumes as well, since he absolutely despised the smell of them, but if this was what the girl often weared, then he would have no choice. Dammit, he is definitely going to get Vermouth back when this is all over.

Leaving the things on the marble countertop of his bathroom, he went into the shower and turned on the water as cold as it could be. Cold was good. It would wake him up and make sure he got through the mission without any hesitation. It was kill or be killed, simple as that.

After a good five minutes under the freezing shower, he finally turned off the water and stepped out, drying himself with one of the many black towels piled up neatly in the nearby closet. Vermouth had gotten them as a joke a few years ago, with his codename being Shinigami and all, but he had kept them since they were of really good quality and were extremely soft to touch. Dropping the towel in the washing basket, he began to pick out the items of clothing in the box. He grimaced when he pulled out the pads. Though the girl had a small chest, it was still a pain to put them on. After securing them, he wore a tight wrap to keep them in place and carefully pulled out the silk blue dress, slipping it over his head. It had a loose draping front to hide the beginning of where the wrap started, the fabric clinging tightly to his slim waist and flowing down in several thin layers like a waterfall around his pale, long legs. There was a slit on the left, stopping right above the middle of his thigh and a heavily studded belt was placed right beneath his fake chest. His body was slim enough to slip into such dresses but still toned enough to hold up in a fight. If a person didn’t look too closely, then he could pass off as a girl who just happened to train a bit. He took out the small case containing the forest green contacts and got close to the mirror, painstakingly placing them in his eyes to cover up the brilliant blue of his sapphire eyes.

He quickly dried his hair with the hairdryer and put on the wig cap next, tucking in the small tufts of hair that poked out. Tsukino Manami had retained her long black hair, choosing not to dye or curl it, so Conan decided to leave the wig as it is on his head, trailing down his back smoothly. The girl was as simple as simple could be. She wouldn’t put too much thought into such things. A few small pins to secure some loose hair and he was onto the makeup. He put on the face mask with a bit of difficulty, getting it to fit his facial features, and then started applying some dark blue shadow on his eyelids, then proceeding on to the liner and the mascara. His eyelashes were long enough to pass for a girls so he left them alone. After that was the concealer and foundation. He skipped the powder, choosing to just apply a light blink blush that could barely be seen and outlined his lips with a red-pink lip gloss. Gingerly picking up the perfume, he took his last deep breath of what would be fresh, uncontaminated air for the next few hours, and sprayed himself three times. Gagging, he quickly put the perfume away and put on the designer necklace and earrings, all made from precious sapphire stones. The necklace was three layers, each dotted and cluttered with the small blue stones, varying in size, while the earrings were shaped like teardrops, blinking like stars when he moved his head.

He stared into the mirror; an unknown girl stared back at him. Dark black hair ending at mid-waist, contrasting against the pale, white skin. Delicate features accompanied by a set of emerald eyes; he was a girl now and he would act like one.

Picking up the box, he took it back to his bedroom and placed it back to the original hiding place, leaving only the high heels, the small black purse and the pale turquoise nail polish out. He sat down on the wooden chair in front of the desk and began to efficiently apply the nail polish. He was finished in a matter of minutes and blew on them to make them dry faster. Hopefully, the target wouldn’t pay too much attention to his nails.

When the nails were dry, he crouched down on the floor, snagging his fingertips to an uneven edge on the floor. He pulled with some effort, the piece of wood finally allowing itself to be raised, revealing the large range of weapons below. His eyes immediately locked onto the small switchblade, an Italian stiletto. He released the blade from where it had been placed and shoved it into the a band placed right above where the slit landed. It would be an easy place for him to reach if he ever needed it. Putting the wood flooring back in place, he glanced at the time.

He had less than ten minutes until someone came to pick him up.

Grabbing his cell phone and pushing it into the band with the knife, he placed the nail polish in the black purse, just so that it would have some weight, and snagged the pair of heels on his way out. Closing the bedroom door behind him, he stood by the doorway, waiting in silence.

He was able to hear the sound of the vehicle arriving at the gate. The gate creaked open and quiet footsteps crossed the path and climbed up the stairs. Then one long knock, followed by four short knocks, and another two long knocks sounded on the door.

Conan slipped on the heels, grimacing at the unwelcome pain. When was the last time he had had to wear something this high? He did one last check before opening the door a crack to see the person who had knocked. When he saw who it was, he internally groaned.

Gin.

Dammit.

“Hurry up, I don’t have all night to do this.”

His eyes narrowed at the quiet, deadly voice that uttered those words, glaring back into the cold and dull grey-brown eyes. Answering smoothly in a perfect rendition of Tsukino Manami’s voice, he laughed sarcastically, “Oh, I didn’t realize that _you_ would be escorting me tonight.”

“Get going. I’m not going to wait for you.”

The teen sighed, rolling his eyes in obvious distaste. At least he only had to ride with the guy for no more than twenty minutes. He closed the door behind him, locking it and hiding the key within the wrap around his chest. Gin was already past the gates and getting into the car when he started towards them, frowning when he saw the man order Vodka to start the car. Reaching for the car handle, he saw Gin’s subordinate glance nervously at him. Even behind the dark sunglasses, he could see the unconcealed surprise that was on Vodka’s face every time he appeared in front of him cross-dressed.

Entering the backseat of the black Porsche 356A, he made sure that the dress was carefully tucked around him before slamming the door shut. There was the scent of cigarettes within the car, a smell that made him want to vomit when it mixed with the too sweet perfume. Clean beige covered the interior, and Vodka stepped on the gas, propelling the car forward.

“Here. That woman told me to give these to you.”

Conan looked up, raising an eyebrow at the two slips of paper and a vial being given to him.

Fingerprints. And cyanide.

“How typical. But then again, we are talking about a woman who just got hooked up with a rich guy.”

He sees Vodka shudder at his use of a woman’s voice. The part of him that somehow takes sick pleasure in all of this laughs silently. He takes the two slips of paper and quickly peels off the fingerprint duplicates that match Tsukino Manami’s. Yet another invention of Sherry. It isn’t detectable when it comes in contact with skin, easy to put on and take off and perfect when put into action. When all ten were put on, he lets the papers fall from his lap onto the empty seat beside him and accepts the vial.

The drive is silent for the rest of the way. Conan allows his eyes to slide to the right, looking but not actually seeing the images that blur away from the speed. The quiet in the car was somehow unsettling and he kept his gaze on the outside, where the sky had already darkened to a dark blue, just like the dress. When they finally reached the woman’s place, in a large neighbourhood filled with houses, he breathed a sigh of relief. The surrounding houses were all mostly lit in at least one room. There was a knock on the window on Vodka’s side and a brief nod from Gin allowed him to lower the window.

“We’ve got the woman. We’ll be depositing her near the mansion near the forest later. She shouldn’t be waking up for another five or six hours, so the mission needs to be completed within that time frame.”

“You got that?” Gin tilted his head back to glare at the disguised assassin.

“Of course. When have I ever failed?”

The man on the outside gaped at what looked like the perfect copy of the woman he had just kidnapped and almost stumbled when he accidentally took a few steps backwards.

Conan opened the car and slowly stepped out, the cool night air hitting his face. The moon was beautiful tonight, even if it was already waning to form a smooth crescent. Moonlight splashed onto his dress, reflecting against his pale skin and the tiny sapphires sparkled with every move he made. There was a moment of absolute silence, when he could feel the burning gazes set on him.

The tranquil moment was broken as he slammed close the door of the car. He stepped to one side and the black car drove away, Gin not even looking back once. The other man had an evident blush on his face as he bowed and stuttered.

“Y-you must b-be Shinigami-sama. I-I will be t-taking my leave now.”

He waved the man off and stepped towards the house, opening the mahogany door. A dark hallway laid before him and he went in, closing the door behind him. Now to wait for the chauffeur sent by the target.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, yes, I know, I cut this chapter into parts (I still need to write the other parts, mind you, but I at least have it planned out) but I'm hoping to only have this mission for two chapters which I will most likely then combine into one. Depends :) But yay! Finally have one story past 10,000 words...!
> 
> Next Chapter: Assassination Mission: Part II


	6. Assassination Mission: Part II

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 喜欢的人不出现，出现的人不喜欢。
> 
> Those who I like remain hidden, yet the ones who do appear, I dislike.
> 
> \- 《一辈子孤单》刘若英
> 
>  
> 
> [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nSyL3hxoC30]()

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sooooo....
> 
> 1 year and 2 months...I have no other excuse than procrastinating (and nearly suffocating from a certain education program, but--) and being lazy.
> 
> But...I hope you enjoy?
> 
> The song is in Chinese (a longtime favourite of mine -- when I was young it was one of 2 songs that circulated in my head daily and escaped from my mouth despite my lack of ability in singing, although not as bad as Shinichi...) and while it would be fun to go listen to it, it's up to you :)

It wasn’t long after that he heard the roll of tires in front of the house. A door opened and closed, the slam seeming particularly loud as quieter footsteps soon followed, approaching the mahogany door that Conan himself had only just entered moments ago. Three steady knocks sounded as he smoothed down his dress, did a few last checks and secured the black band on his leg. He gave out one last sigh before slipping into character, the perfect imitation of a shy girl, and walked over to the door, the high heels clicking loudly against the wooden flooring.

“...yes?”

“Tsukino-sama, I have been sent by Matsushita-sama to escort you to his mansion tonight.”

There was a middle-aged man standing outside, his gloved hand holding his chauffeur hat across his chest and bowing as a sign of respect. His black uniform blended into the night and Conan glimpsed the flashes of silver nestled among brown strands of hair and the small wrinkles that was on the man’s face.

“Ah, yes. How should I address you, sir?”

“The master has instructed for the servants to be referred to by their assigned position. There is no need for Tsukino-sama to know a humble servant’s name.”

How convenient, though Conan already knew the man’s name.

Nakamura Hideki, 54 years old, single and was one of the first to be hired by Matsushita Kichiro as a servant. Trusted by the politician and most likely a close advisor. A person to watch out for.

This would be Tsukino Manami’s first time to attend such a formal gathering, therefore the first time for the target to send his chauffeur to escort her. Considering her shy and polite personality, it would have not been strange if she had actually asked for a servant’s name.

“...I see,” Conan let his lips fall slightly to show disappointment.

“Tsukino-sama, if you could please proceed to the vehicle?”

“Oh! Of course.”

He stepped over the doorframe, the dress rippling gently like waves, and headed towards the car after closing the door behind him. He felt the piercing eyes stare into his back, hear the quiet footsteps that matched so perfectly to his own that he almost stiffened when the man passed him to open the gates. Conan passed through the gates, nodding his head with thanks, which he did again, his long hair draping down his shoulder, when the man held open the door of the car. Daintily placing the purse on his lap and crossing his fingers in a ladylike manner, he settled to the side, smoothing out any crumpled fabric against the expensive leather of the car. The man walked over to the driver’s side to get in and start the car, pulling smoothly out onto the street and headed towards the highway.

Conan turned his head to the side, leaning against the cool glass of the heavily tinted window, his fingers absently tracing the grooves of the leather purse. From time to time, he would feel the eyes observing him and he would casually rearrange his hair or brush his hand against the silk dress until he felt the gaze move from him. He took notice of every little detail that passed by, especially when they stopped at the stoplights; the people, the license plates, the speed at which they were moving, playing his favourite game of deducing. The woman who just crossed the street has just entered pregnancy and most likely just got betrayed by the father of the child, by the way her hand hovers over her stomach and how she repeatedly checks her phone, a desperate and broken look on her face. The teenage boy by the sidewalk was probably a trained swimmer, by his hair bordering on a pale golden brown mixed with black under the light and the muscle structure of his body, easily observed through the skin-tight clothes he wore. An old man who was just taking a stroll has lost a pet recently, with the way his eyes are constantly drawn to the dogs being walked near the entrance of the park and how he fondly strokes an old, dark red leash.

The lights outside slowly dimmed as the car entered the highway, and he soon lost sight of the city behind him.

“Ah...sir? For how long will this ride be?” the nervous voice of Tsukino pierced the silence within the car.

“Please do not worry, Tsukino-sama. Matsushita-sama has planned it so that you shall reach there before the gathering starts.”

“Alright...thank you.”

His eyes slid shut, and he forced himself to relax, hands falling limp in his lap. His breathing slowed, going in and out at an even pace. The things that people reveal when they think others are asleep.

He didn’t have to wait for long.

There was the sound of shuffling as the man connected his bluetooth and Conan heard the faint droning beeps and the sharp click when the call connected.

“Matsushita-sama? I have successfully picked up Tsukino-sama. We are currently on our way and the ETA is approximately 45 minutes as of now. We have yet to encounter any disturbances.”

How foolish. How naïve. They were really underestimating the Organization, something that they will regret for very soon.

_“Is Manami…?”_

“No, Sir, she is currently sleeping in the back.”

 _“Ah, alright. I’ll be a bit busy with finalizing the last few details of the party, so just let her do as she see fit. Just don’t let her in_ that _room. Make sure it’s locked before she even nears it.”_

“Of course, Sir, I will make sure.”

_“You are dismissed for now; focus on getting her here.”_

“Yes, Matsushita-sama.”

The call disconnected, the monotonous beeping sounds quickly ended with one touch. Conan remained motionless, allowing his body to sway along with the motion of the car and making sure his limbs stayed limp. His breaths were barely audible in the silence and he could hear the quiet breaths of the servant.

Unbeknownst to the two, he had already been informed of the secret meeting that they would be holding in the basement of the mansion; several of the guests invited today would also be participating. But Tsukino Manami would not. Nor would the host of the meeting ever get the chance to. Either way, it was an insignificant matter to the Organization, and thus, of no immediate importance to him.

The calming drone of the car accompanying the ride continued, and he could tell when the streets were no longer lit as well as how the road got bumpier that they were climbing the mountain. The curves and turns were a perfect excuse for him to wake up, and he slowly stirred, letting out a dainty yawn that was covered by slender fingers and gently stretched out his arms, taking the opportunity to adjust his dress again.

“Sir, are we almost there?”

“Very soon, Tsukino-sama. We will be arriving in about 15 minutes. Please take care to buckle up as these roads are quite bumpy at times.”

Conan let his lips settle downwards in a small pout, imitating a young girl who would be extremely disappointed if her dress got crushed with wrinkles because of a seat belt. He let out a small sigh and waited as the dark, ominous turns ended in a straight route and the car approached the brightly lit mansion, bypassing the ornate iron gates and around the fountain that was alive with sparkles of refracted light from its waterfalls. For a moment, he was transfixed by the way the water droplets pelted off from the main body only to splatter harshly against the marble of the rim.

The car stopped in front of the western styled double doors and Conan allowed the other man to open the car door and lead him to the front, where the ancient oak shifted to reveal a maid and a warm background.

Such extravagance, Conan thought as he observed the beautiful waterfall-like staircase made of black marble, a finely crafted silver handle lining its sides. On the two sides, large bouquets of snowdrops, lavenders and several other mild-coloured flowers adorned the staircase and walls, where breath-taking lights were installed in the form of asymmetrical pieces of glass that curved like water around a single flickering candle. A chandelier had been installed at the very top, surrounded by mirrors so that the glint of each hanging piece of glass would reflect back onto the black of the floor, lighting up the entire room.

“Mana-chan!” A man stood at the bottom of the staircase, his arms held wide, “You’re here! Welcome.”

Conan looked down demurely with a light blush and tilted his head slightly at the maid to show his respect before heading towards the man, the high heels clicking sharply against the marble with every step he took.

“Kichiro-kun.” He greeted Matsushita Kichiro with a small smile, and allowed the man to embrace him, holding down his disgust when the man caressed his shoulders and leaned forward for a kiss. His hand immediately went up to gently push the target back, looking away while murmuring, “Not here, please, Kichiro-kun.”

Matsushita Kichiro paused, but then let out a loud laugh and held him closer to his chest so he could whisper in his ear, “Later then, my darling. I’ll make you scream my name tonight.”

If only he could just slit this man’s throat right now, he thought as he shuddered, which his target mistakenly interpreted as a positive response and he could only stand there as the disgusting man ran his thin hand over his shoulders, bumping over the sapphires of the necklace.

“Well then, my dear, I still have a few last things to do before the party begins. Would you like someone to accompany you around the house? Because I’ll need Hideki for some things.”

“O-of course, it’s alright! I-I’ll be fine alone.” The assassin waved his hands, sending the man a nervous but reassuring smile, “I don’t want to get in your way.”

“Ah, so understanding, my Mana-chan! Well then, I’ll send someone for you later, agreed?”

“A-agreed, Kichiro-kun.”

The man snapped his fingers and Nakamura Hideki and the maid followed behind him to the room on the first floor where they would be holding the main reception and most of the entertainments. Conan waited until they were gone before he made a beeline for the stairs to the second floor, where all the bedrooms and offices were, along with the library. Conan made brief visits to each room, as though he were roaming randomly just to pass off the time, sliding his fingers under every surface and angle, not only to leave behind fingerprints but also to check for devices. While certain that the man would not use security cameras within each room, it could not be said the same for listening devices. The rooms were mostly the same, with elegant carpets and furniture, as well as a large canopy bed that clearly looked uncomfortable to sleep in and a door that led to a small personalized bathroom. He made a beeline for the master bedroom next. Pushing aside the oak doors, he eyed the extravagantly lavished room with contempt. There was a larger canopy bed in the centre of the room, the expected heavy curtains replaced with several layers of light sash and stiff blankets replaced with black silk.

Huh. So the man had planned ahead.

Conan glared at the bed, disgust once again showing in his eyes, and moved swiftly for the vanity table that was a few feet away from the bed, passing by the loveseat and sofas placed in the middle of the room. Bending down, he opened the clasp of his purse and slipped out a small, black device which he firmly attached to the wooden underside of the table. He slid his finger over his right earring. Each earring, despite embedded with sapphires, were still quite thick if observed carefully. Conan got up, then turned and walked to the glass balcony doors that were to the left of the bed gingerly pinching the edges of the heavy curtains to pull it completely closed. Silently, he headed towards the walk-in closet, which also connected to the bathroom, allowing some hesitation to show in his steps. Slow and steady, one in front of the other. His nose twitched in irritation. He would gut that woman when he finishes this mission.

Arriving in front of the sliding door, he slid it open to reveal a large room with racks upon racks of clothing and accessories, all from top notch fashion brands ranging from Prada to Versace and most likely worth nothing less than millions of yen each. The assassin spied several pieces among and showcased in between that once belonged to famous foreign stars who have all graced the red carpets of Hollywood, but he merely paused for effect before moving on to the bathroom.

The bathroom itself was equally breathtaking. The walls and floor were beautifully adorned with grey-silver diamond-shaped tiles, creating the Crazy Diamonds Illusion. The room was of a semi-circle, an elegant bathtub in the middle and a curved marble tabletop with two sinks and an extended mirror that ran along the rounded wall. Along with the lights embedded into the ceiling, another row of ornate glass flowers encased LED light bulbs that glowed above the mirror.

Sharp clicks of the high heels echoed in the large but empty bathroom and Conan almost found himself mesmerized with the pattern in front of him. If he could somehow guilt Vermouth into renovating his bathroom...she’s always had a soft spot for him and he usually doesn’t ask for much; the gifts were always forced on him for good reason. He let out a light sigh, running his fingers over the marble and turned to check his reflection in the mirror.

Innocently masked green eyes stared back with apprehension and confusion, almost doll-like features framed by long black hair.

Pretty. He wasn’t stupid nor that dense. He knew beauty when he saw it.

But so terrifying. How makeup could make a person no longer who they are. Then again, has he ever been himself in the first place? He remembers but he doesn’t. More like he wasn’t _allowed_ to.

_This is where you belong. From now on, your only purpose is to serve the Organization. There will be no mistakes allowed, understood?_

But he was naturally curious. The world around him, his own identity and him.

_I’m glad we could meet again, Shin-chan._

What did he mean? ‘Meet again’? Had they ever met in the past?

Conan had an extremely good memory to tack along with his quick thinking and reflexes, it was what made him so much more different from the other members of the Organization. He was the ‘prized’ assassin. _That_ man and agents like Rum may be at the top of the chain, but he was the one that skulked in the pitch black corners of their already shadow-ridden world. He was the one that had a foot in both Intelligence and Assassination. The one trained to be an independent individual, yet nevertheless a dog for the Organization.

_Shinigami._

‘God of death’. It had been Vermouth who had given him that codename, though she had started calling him ‘Shin-chan’ way before then, although never in front of any other member. He had a nagging suspicion it was somehow connected to who he was _before_ , before he came into the Organization, and Vermouth, for some reason, chose a codename that deviated from all others so that that one part of him would still remain, even if as a mystery. In a way, it was almost ironic. The dead came to him even if he had no hand in it. The way corpses dropped almost daily around him only reinforced his codename and either way, none dared to protest after _His_ final word.

_It’s hard to imagine that someone like me would ever feel regret. But I do. For once, I do. I’m sorry, my Silver Bullet, and this will be the only time I’ll ever say this, but I’m sorry. The only thing for you to do now is survive. Survive and then choose your own path._

But KID. Just who exactly is the thief? Does the other have some information on his past?

His hand clenched against the cool surface of the marble and he took a deep breath. Thinking about such complicated things just wouldn’t do right now. He had an assassination to carry out at the moment. Distractions would cost him. Dearly.

He dabbed a finger against his face, checking to make sure everything was still in place and in a state of perfection, that he was still Tsukino Manami, the lover of Matsushita Kichiro. With a final glance, he rotated sharply on the heels and left.

Yes. The Shinigami never makes mistakes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...alright, how was it?
> 
> As usual, comments, criticisms (constructive and otherwise, I'm pretty open to most of it :) And I know the deductions are cr*p; courtesy of me not being a certain person who is able to come up with God-knows-how-many ways of killing with some string. But anyways...) and complaints (of me being lazy -- I know, I know... *insert guilty face*).
> 
> Unfortunately, the exam period _is_ coming up for me, so I cannot guarantee another chapter right away. Just a heads up because I don't want think people thinking this story has been given up on. (Have you ever felt homework and tests and exams are just another form of torture? No? Oh well.)
> 
> So, until then ^_^ And I shall work hard on the next chapter :)
> 
> Next Chapter: Assassination Mission: Part III


	7. Assassination Mission: Part III

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shit. He really was going to slaughter Vermouth. And maybe Gin as well, just for the heck of it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm baaaaaack! And it's exams season so what is better to do than to procrastinate, procrastinate, and procrastinate some more? Study. Right. I'll get right to that. Soon. I will. (But hey, I finished this 'fourth-chapter-that's-been-split-into-three' thing?)
> 
> So I'll shut up and leave you to read it :) --> I can always moan and groan and complain to myself in the meantime.
> 
> Enjoy ^_^

Heavy pants filled the dark room, piteous moans and the clinking of chains trailing all over the floor, mimicking the treacherous threads of a spider web. Sweat glistened on smooth skin covered in mere slips of cloth and limbs pulled against their cold restraints.

“Someone...save...us...please…”

The whisper remained unheard.

O_^ DCMK

Conan closed the door behind him and headed down the hallway, taking careful steps down the marble stairs as he ran his thoughts through all the escape routes and back-up plans he had slaved over the previous night.

“Miss Tsukino? The master calls for you.”

The assassin raised his head to see the maid from before at the foot of the stairs, her eyes devoid of any emotion. How peculiar. He gave a nod and followed compliantly behind the maid, not missing the deep purple bruise around her neck that was barely covered by the high collar of her uniform. There were also her hands, dutifully clasped in front and gloved, secured by clips on her sleeves. Her dress was long, reaching her ankles, but from what he could see, the fine seams around the waist of the uniform were detachable, making him raise an eyebrow at the true purpose of the intricate design. He internally sighed, it would be better to let sleeping dogs lie; he only had to complete his mission, scram, get home and devise an ingenious method to murder Vermouth before he loses motivation or falls prey to her offers of coffee beans from Brazil and Panama. The witch, he swears she is secretly involved with some kind of S&M relationship to be so skilled in manipulating men (he suspects Gin, but he doesn’t want to be involved with the man’s ‘hissy fit’ that always involved a gun and a lot of blood). And women. He couldn’t forget that one young woman Vermouth showed favour to, the one who was only a few years older than him, with platinum blonde hair and heterochromia eyes. And then there was the one that had only recently joined the Organization in the past few years, Mizunashi Rena, codename Kir. He had met with both of them before and he had been involved with the experiments concerning the first woman, not that that had been an enjoyable sight.

They reached the bottom of the stairs and the maid turned sharply to the right, where it entered into a dark but wide hallway, lit only by the candles on the two walls. She stopped in front of the tall wooden doors that were still open, leading into a brightly lit ballroom where the left was dedicated to tables of delicacies and the right to the wide expanse of empty space along with a small orchestra settled on a higher ground.

“Mana-chan!” The man from before walked over, a smile that bordered on a leer stretching across his face, “What do you think? Is it pleasing?”

Conan returned the smile, albeit a little reluctant, “Of course, Kichiro-kun. It’s absolutely stunning how you decorated this whole place.”

The man reached for him, casually wounding an arm around his waist, and he allowed himself to be led to the empty space which he supposed was the dance floor.

“May I ask for this dance?”

Dance? Tsukino Manami doesn’t know how to dance.

He allowed a confused look and nervous laughter to filter through.

“But I don’t know how to dance…”

“No worries, just follow me, my dear,” he quipped, “and you’ll do just fine.”

Bony fingers made their way around his waist once more while another hand grasped his right and he found himself standing right at eye level with pale, thin lips that revealed slightly yellowed teeth behind them.

How unpleasant. Disgusting. Revolting.

But he leaned forward, resting his cheek against the covered chest and let the man lead him in a slow motion, moving back and forth along with the occasional twirl. The overwhelming stench of expensive cologne made him cringe but he took shallow breaths, forcing the close proximity even if he wanted nothing more than to run outside right now and just enjoy the fresh mountain air.

“You’re doing well, Mana-chan. I suppose you’ll be ready for later tonight,” the man commented happily.

“I apologize for interrupting, Matsushita-sama, but the guests are starting to arrive.”

“Ah, it’s already 10 o’clock? How fast time passes when I’m with you, Mana-chan. Well then, shall we?”

Conan took the offered arm and headed towards the doorway with his target, plastering a smile on his face as guests were greeted. He glanced over each of them, all dressed in splendor, with expensive suits and dresses, and gaudy jewelry that reflected the light of the candles.

Namiyo from the Cabinet. Junichiro from foreign affairs with a couple of foreigners, perhaps British or French? American? Euiko, one of the major shareholders of that printing company that has released books from several well-known authors. There were several other guests, all coming from high positions in society, ranging from the government to major companies, and the rare mix of a few foreigners only made things more exciting for those attending. It was the perfect place to extend relations and gain more support.

The boy’s eyes flitted to the next pair that came in, widening when he recognized the two.

_Shit. Why are they here?_

“Ah, you must be Narumi-san! It was rather sudden, but one of my associates told me about you lately!” Matsushita Kichiro laughed, a nasally sound that made even the man he was talking to cringe, “I must say that it is a pleasure to have you here tonight! And I see that you have brought quite the beauty with you, have you not?”

Red lips curved into a wordless smile as Sato Miwako tightened her grip onto the sleeve of the already tense Takagi Wataru.

“Ah, t-thank you, Matsushita-san, but you have one right next to you, no?”

Conan resisted the strong urge to glare as both officers in disguise locked their sights onto him. He smiled back demurely, eyelashes fluttering as he drew himself closer to the man to make himself seem smaller. 

“Yes, she’s quite the shy one along with her looks,” Matsushita commented in an offhand manner, waving his free arm around wildly, but his eyes were clearly trained on Miwako as the woman laid it on thick with her acting skills. Conan was tempted to raise an eyebrow at how her body was literally pressed against the nervous male and could already imagine the uprise this would later cause at headquarters. Nevertheless, he held back, only giving Matsushita a glimpse of his displeasure when he gave him a rather forceful tug.

“Either way, I hope we can be better acquainted later, Narumi-san, especially with that beautiful lady. I assume you will be coming tonight?”

At this, Conan’s interest peaked and he relaxed against the other man so he could listen on in silence. The presence of the two police officers meant that there was something going on here other than what was already anticipated and just one police officer signalled more, most likely hiding. He was reminded of the secret meeting mentioned in the report. Was there something about the meeting that had set off the police?

Shit. He really was going to slaughter Vermouth. And maybe Gin as well, just for the heck of it.

It was never good to catch the eye of the police and he was already in a precarious position considering his ties to both the police and the Organization. While his plan to assassinate Matsushita Kichiro would not be affected too much, it would still be troublesome. He would have to be extra cautious of those who were assigned on the outside perimeters.

“O-of course, Matsushita-san. I’ll be in your care,” Wataru stuttered before allowing a pouting Miwako to drag him into the ballroom, probably to the table of delicacies.

“Did you have to do that?” Conan voiced, his voice soft and low, but he refused to look at the man he was clinging onto.

“Jealous, Mana-chan?” He smirked confidently and proceeded to pull Conan closer to him in a feeble attempt to console his date before continuing, “It’s alright, I only have eyes for you, my love.”

_What a liar. Hypocrite._

The rest of the greetings passed by fast and the boy subconsciously profiled every person they met as well as those who accompanied the major figures. His only problem right now was to figure out what exactly Matsushita had planned tonight for behind the scenes and when it would start. To kill the man beforehand would leave his curiosity unsatisfied, but to kill the man afterwards...yes, perhaps that would be a better route to take.

He watched as Matsushita left his side to go on stage and give a short speech, ending with a simple and eloquent wish for the guests to enjoy the event and their stay. The man invited him for the first dance, where there was a lot of foot stepping and winces involved, but all was forgiven and forgotten when he flashed innocent emerald puppy eyes up at the man with a wobbly pout. Afterwards, several approached Matsushita, thus also interacting with him, and it was easy to pick out who had been invited to this mysterious ‘meeting’ that the man was mentioning so often. He snorted, Matsushita clearly had no regards in keeping his information private. Only a fool would be so open and unguarded, especially when the police were already onto him.

“Tsukino-san?” A nervous voice called out to his alias and he tilted his head to the side to see a less than comfortable Wataru, who was having a hard time resisting the urge to fiddle with his sleeves, and a satisfied Miwako, who was still enjoying a black Périgord truffle.

“Narumi-san, correct? How may I help you?” He responded pleasantly, imitating a mature woman, his every movement and word pronounced in a calm manner. With Matsushita leaving him to his own devices to ‘enjoy the party’ as he said, he would have to be even more careful with the undercover police officers.

“Ah...no, it was just, uh…”

Impatient with his stuttering, Miwako took charge with a large smile that was a bit too friendly to be real.

“Tsukino-chan, you see, Naru-chan and I were just curious if you would be attending the after party with your...boyfriend?”

“Yes,” Conan affirmed her question, “Matsushita and I are in a relationship. However, and please do not tell this to anyone,” he feigned confusion and innocence, pausing before continuing, “I was not aware that he would be attending something else after this event. Could you please inform me?”

At this, Miwako raised an eyebrow and exchanged looks with Wataru. The reluctance was clear; whatever illegal event Matsushita was holding, they didn’t want an innocent civilian to be involved, considering that the civilian has just confirmed that they didn’t know anything.

“Please, I assure you that I won’t tell him you told me,” Conan tried one more time to persuade the two, cracking a small smile when Miwako whispered, “12 o’clock, in the hidden room.” This was their last test to see whether or not if the woman named Tsukino Manami was truly innocent. Ironic, since the woman would soon be pinned with another crime and would most likely be killed, feigned as suicide, before things got to court. It would be the perfect pitiful story of a woman who went insane after being wrongly accused of murdering her lover. And then, there would no longer be any witnesses.

He put up a show, scrunching his eyebrows with distaste and dissatisfaction, all the while muttering under his breath, “Just what the hell is he thinking? And what is he doing, going out so late at night to participate in an event I was not even informed about?”

“So, will you come tonight, Tsukino-chan?”

He looked back up in feigned surprise and let out a delicate sigh before he replied gently, “Well, I certainly am curious in what he is hiding from me. I will ask him later.”

There was a slight tug from Miwako that he caught in the corner of his eye and he knew that they had taken the bait. The woman looked towards him again, offering a few soothing words, “Ah, maybe not that, Tsukino-chan, you never know, he might have prepared a surprise or something. Now that I think about it, maybe I shouldn’t have tipped you off about it.” There was a guilty frown on her face and she gave an almost sympathetic look mixed with a silent plea.

“Alright...I guess you’re right.” Conan gave them a contemplative look, but he had already made up his mind; Tsukino Manami was a disposable pawn, not only for the Organization but also Matsushita Kichiro. If she ever got in the way, it was likely that the man wouldn’t hesitate to get rid of her. Thus, Conan had open reign to using her identity to find out the man’s secret.

He waved goodbye to the two undercover officers and waited for Matsushita to come his way; the man was still making his way through the crowd, hardly a moment of rest as he exchanged words with every person he met and flirted with the occasional beauty. Conan fiddled with his black purse as he stood near the dessert table, debating with himself whether or not he should take the risk and snag a piece of the lemon cake; there was only one piece left. From the report, it said that Tsukino Manami preferred strawberry over any other flavour, so while eating a piece of lemon cake wasn’t necessarily out of character, it could still raise suspicions. The boy internally growled with his inability to decide. He really wanted that piece of cake. The last time he had had the chance to eat lemon cake was over a month ago and he was slowly suffering from withdrawal symptoms. He stared at the last piece harshly from the other side and was about to go around the table and take it, mission be damned, until someone else’s hand moved forward and snagged the last piece with the knife. Conan immediately held back his movements and stayed frozen in place. His cake...

The businessman who had taken the lemon cake hummed happily under his breath, unaware of the deadly glare being sent his way. Conan gave him a quick lookover, noting his sharp features and type of suit before he made a sharp turn and walked away from the dessert table to find his so-called ‘date for the night’. Inside, he was fuming, irritated not only at the businessman but also at himself for wasting so much time to make such a simple decision. Maybe he could con a lemon cake or two of his target before he eliminated him...he pinched himself. No, the mission comes first. He could not be compromised just because of a simple piece of lemon cake. Looking around quickly, he realised that both undercover police officers were nowhere to be seen. Shit, he had gotten distracted with the cake. Them being gone probably meant that the _other_ event was starting soon and he would be damned if he missed it. With his mind set and focused, he allowed a sweet smile to form on his lips as he linked his arms around the one that his target had offered him upon seeing him approach.

“Kichiro-kun,” he whined softly as soon as the politician his target had been talking to gave them a nod of his head and left to talk with another guest, “I’m getting bored. It’s almost midnight, you know.”

The man chuckled, “I suppose so, my cute Mana-chan. Shall I show you something...more _fun_ then?”

Conan buttered the man up with a flutter of his eyelashes and beautiful emerald orbs that gazed at the man with adoration and curiosity. The whispered answer was so soft that had the man not been so attentive of his companion, he would have easily missed it.

“Yes, please, Kichiro-kun. I would _love_ to see what you have planned.”

O_^ DCMK

“Kichiro-kun? Where are we going?” The nervous voice softly voiced out the question as hands tightened around the man’s arm. They had entered a dark but wide passage and the limited number of candles casted eerie shadows along the marble walls.

“Scared, Mana-chan?” His target let out a snort, “Don’t worry, I’m right here.”

Conan fell silent after that. The length of the passage soon ended, about a five-minute walk, Conan estimated. He had planned to eliminate the man in his own bedroom, but if things were to go awry, he had no problem carrying out his act right there and then. The black device he had implanted in the room could easily be self-destructed and be mistaken for the actions of a jealous partner. After all, Tsukino Manami’s fingerprints were all over it.

They approached a curtained entrance that was guarded by two men in black suits and the two immediately parted the heavy, purple curtains to allow them through. The inside was dark and seemed to be circular in structure with different rooms, all covered with curtains at the doorways, as the two sides curved off into the shadows. Another man was waiting on the other side and silently led them to a doorway near the entrance, parting the curtains to allow them in.

The room was not too large but at the same time, small enough to be considered cozy. A black and red hug chair, the type designed by Ilian Milinov, was placed at the centre of the room, right in front of the see-through glass window. In front of the chair was a low table and to the right, on the lower side, there was a button on a high pedestal with a black screen and a small microphone. His target walked slowly to the chair, sitting on the lower seat and motioned for Conan to take his place on the higher one. Without an ounce of hesitation, the assassin strutted forward shyly with a blush and perched on his seat, crossing his legs gracefully so that the man could settle an arm around his waist while he himself could easily gain access to the other’s neck and shoulders. He felt the band on his left leg shift, but it was easily hidden by the lack of light and the fact that he was sitting on the left side.

A small giggle escaped his lips as he slipped his arms around Matsushita’s shoulders, “What is this that you have planned, Kichiro-kun?”

“A small show that I thought would be interesting to show you,” the man replied with a dirty grin, “I was trying something new for my business and tonight will be the first of many shows to come.” He leaned forward to nuzzle at Conan’s collarbone and the boy responded with a small squeak of protest, gently slapping the other’s arm as he leaned back to escape the intimacy.

“Kichiro-kun! This room doesn’t have cameras, does it?”

“Of course not, my dear,” Matsushita chuckled lowly, “none of them do. This is a private event with high security, after all. There are many important people who have been invited as guests to this... _event_.”

“But...I would still prefer to do... _you know_ when we’re back in our room.” Conan stumbled over his words with a heavy blush as his fingers nervously prodded at each other. “I don’t want to do it...here.”

There was a pause, but he could see the man waver.

“Very well, if that makes you more comfortable, my dear,” he said in a soothing voice and gestured for Conan to return to his embrace, “now come, it’s starting soon.”

True to his word, the other side of the glass panel suddenly lit up, and a sole man stood on the other side, his face covered with a mask that did nothing to hide his slimy smile.

“Welcome, gentlemen, to tonight’s show. To introduce myself, I can be referred to as Kuro, your announcer for the night. I am glad that as our guests, you were able to set time aside for this event. Before we begin, I would like to quickly review how things will work. You are each in a separate room. For your privacy, there are no cameras installed; everything done here will stay here, not a word will escape to the outside. The mirrors are one-way, you will be able to view the merchandise but they will not be able to see you. The screen on the pedestal to your right is where the bidding numbers will be entered. The information will be sent to me and I will announce each bid. If you have specific, reasonable requests for how the merchandise is viewed or other questions, please feel free to press the button also on the pedestal and voice your requests with the microphone. I will be able to receive it privately and carry it out. Bids will begin at a starting price and will be raised with each individual bid from the guests. Everything will be done in US dollars. Like any other auction, the final price will be set and the buyer secured when there are no more bids and the countdown from three is completed. Transactions will be made at the end of the auction and until then, your product will be kept backstage. Are there any questions before we begin?”

Silence reigned for about a minute and the announcer glanced at the small device in his hands.

“I see that there are none. Without further ado, let us begin.”

The lights dimmed until only shadows could be seen. Conan leaned into Matsushita, arms once again coiling around the man’s shoulders, and whispered into the man’s ear. “Why is it so dark again? Aren’t they starting already?”

“Patience, my dear,” Matsushita hushed him, “it’s starting any minute now.”

There was the telltale sound of the lights being flicked back on and Conan turned his body forward so he could see properly, only to freeze when he saw what was under the spotlight. The grip around his waist suddenly tightened.

The faint whimpers and pitiful sobs were mere background noise as the assassin glimpsed a nearly naked young girl shivering at the feet of Kuro. She was a foreigner with wavy blonde hair that reached her shoulder blades. Thick eyelashes encased light-blue, unfocused orbs rimmed with tears as she struggled with the bonds that trapped her wrists together. Light see-through fabric covered her barely developed breasts and her crotch, but it did little to protect her privacy. There was a thick collar placed around thin neck with a leash that the announcer held and he pulled on it harshly to make the girl stand. Her legs trembled like a newborn deer as a light sheen of sweat covered her forehead and she gasped for breath. A heavy red was settled across her face and ears, hinting at the influence of aphrodisiac drugs.

“First up, gentlemen, is this young one from Sweden. Twelve years old, untouched, clean, and only just began her cycle a few months ago. There are no physical or psychological defects to take note of at the moment and as you can see, she is fair-skinned and a sight to behold. Imagine what she will be like if she were allowed to mature; it would be, without a doubt, a worthy investment, especially with the start of any training at a still malleable age. The bidding starts at $500,000. Are there any bids?”

Conan clenched at Matsushita’s shoulders and whipped his head around, barely containing his anger.

“What is this, Kichiro?”

Matsushita merely smirked at him and the tightened grip around his waist drew him closer to the man. “Relax, sweetie,” he drawled slowly as he reached up caress the jawline of the assassin, “it’s not like you’re the one up there.”

“But...this is…!” Conan stuttered, not even sure why he was reacting so violently. He realised that he hated slavery, prostitution, and the likes, of children but at the same time, he knew he was only another hypocrite in the end. He had done far worse; in his mind, there was no sin heavier than the taking of a life. And he had already committed that sin too many times to count.

On the other hand, this hadn’t been mentioned in the report Vermouth had given him. She knew just how much he despised these types of missions, where such things were involved. Even if she had wanted to force him onto such a mission, it was no excuse to forget a crucial detail that could potentially ruin the whole operation. How the hell had she glossed over something so important?

“Oh, my dear Mana-chan, take a deep breath and relax. You know I love you right? This is just another thing to add to my wealth, my love, so that you will live all the more comfortably when we get married. And don’t worry, I’m not going to join the bidding, I’m only here to supervise the first show. I don’t have eyes for anyone but you now, my love. Besides, those... _things_ are already considered unwanted by their parents and guardians. We offered to buy them at a decent price to take them off the hands of those people, so you could say we’re doing them a favour. Who knows, maybe sucking up to a rich man will lead them somewhere.”

Conan refused to look at him as he bit his lip harshly. Everything was wrong. Tsukino Manami wasn’t just a simple fling; they were _lovers_. Lovers who were planning to get married. And then there was this shit about human trafficking. This was one mess he didn’t want to get into, no matter how much coffee Vermouth offers him. The gears within his mind ticked at an unbelievable pace as he tried to decide his next course of action. He would have to play it safe for a bit more. Just a bit more. The assassin let out a deep breath but his shoulders were still tense.

Matsushita took it as a sign of submission and stroked Conan’s shoulder. “There are only five tonight, Mana-chan, so don’t worry too much about it, alright? I’ll make sure that you’ll forget everything by the time morning comes.”

Shit. The man was disgusting.

The harsh sound of a beep reminded him of the ongoing bid as the announcer called out the amount.

“$650,000! Do we have any higher bids?”

Another beep sounded and Kuro read out the amount, “$700,000!” There was a succession of the sound. “$725,000!” And another. “$750,000!”

Dammit, was there really nothing he could do? His fingers itched to kill the man right there and then. It wouldn’t be a problem, the story of the jealous lover would still stand. He just needed an opening.

“$800,000!”

All of a sudden, the lights flickered and a blackout ensued. Conan wasted no time and grabbed the vial hidden in the band, securing his right hand around the man’s jaws to force his mouth open and his left to pop the lid open and force the cyanide down his throat. He tossed the vial to the side, hearing the dull clink as it collided with the carpet, and proceeded to pull up the man’s tie and tied it between his teeth to muffle the sound. Matsushita grappled against him and Conan slid down from his seat to knee the man forcefully between the legs. His target went still though the man’s body shook from the pain and the shock. The rapid gasps were much more evident now as Matsushita struggled for air and his hands slowly moved to claw at his throat.

“Sir? Are you alright?”

Conan looked up calmly, knowing that it was too dark for anything to be seen. Flawlessly, he imitated Matsushita’s voice and replied to the inquiring voice.

“I’m perfectly fine. Just a bit peeved with what happened since Mana-chan and I were just getting it on. What is going on with the control room?”

“Yes, sir. There appears to have been a glitch with the program and we are currently dealing with the guests right now to minimise the confusion and panic.”

“What about the main event?”

“It’s still going on. Only this one has been affected.”

“What about Hideki and the servants?”

“They are still taking care of the main event, as you have requested.”

“How long will the repairs take?”

“The current estimated time is around half an hour, sir. They need time to identify the problem first.”

“Very well, tell them to hurry. Use the guards at the front as well, and extend to my guests my apologies for such an unexpected thing to occur at the first show. Tell them that a fine bottle of wine will be prepared for each of them later.”

“Yes, sir. Is there anything else, sir?”

“No. Leave me for now, I don’t want to be bothered.”

“Of course, sir. I’ll take my leave now.”

Conan listened to the footsteps leave and loosened his grip on Matsushita. It had already been several minutes and the man already lacked a strong pulse, his body twitching rather violently in a silent, instinctive battle for air, for oxygen. The assassin stayed silent, waiting for the body to stop convulsing; in less than a minute, he confirmed the man to be dead. He stepped back and began to make his way to the door, taking advantage of the darkness and the lack of guards at the entrance to slip past the curtains and back into that passage. This was the dangerous part; if anyone were to find him here, it would be difficult to escape. The sharp clicks of his high heels seemed so loud in the otherwise empty space as he walked as fast as he could; it wouldn’t do to be flustered if he had to face anyone outside. His hands were tightly clenched as he lifted his dress to prevent himself from tripping and he schooled his face when he saw the door leading to the main part of the mansion. The assassin paused, taking a deep breath to slip back into character before he slowly pushed the door open and stepped out as though nothing had happened. Deliberately, he gave a hard press to his left earring, knowing that the black device would be self-destructing in about a minute after receiving the signal. Now, he just needed to escape through the back door, over the fence, and into the forest to leave this whole farce behind.

Without skipping a beat, he turned left towards the back of the mansion, away from where the main reception was, and quietly picked his way among the many hallways that branched off. They were all dimly lit, the candles flickering and dancing in the dark, and Conan held his breath whenever he paused to listen to his surroundings.

After his third pause, he started moving forward again, only to rear back when someone dashed out from the adjacent hallway and pulled him off to the side, one hand securing his right arm and another across his mouth. He struggled, attempting to elbow his attacker and maybe aim a kick at the legs, but the familiar drawl made him freeze.

“Oh my, what is my beloved _schnitter_ doing here?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments, feedback, criticisms are all welcome! If there are any plot holes or any questions, please do remind me or ask me -- I'll try to fix them ASAP (honestly, I'm surprised I was able to do this on less than five hours of sleep -- I need my sleep). As for questions, as long as the answer doesn't contain spoilers, I'll be more than happy to explain -- or at least I'll try, to the best of my abilities ^_^
> 
> _Schnitter_ : German for 'reaper'
> 
> Next Chapter: Schnitter


	8. Schnitter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _Schnitter...only one person calls me that._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tadaima!! Back with a new chapter after, I know, forever but I swear, I am completely smitten with A/B/O stuff. I swear, I'm all hyped one moment and ready to sob the next.
> 
> One thing to note, I have changed the time from sometime around February to May. The reason is because I was working with the Western schedule of the school year and completely forgot (yay, two years ago me) that the Japan school year has a different schedule. So, the 2017 me looks stuff up, goes a bit cross-eyed, sighs and grumbles and made the appropriate changes. So right now, it's sometime in May, just over a month into their first term.
> 
> But, all in all, hope you enjoy :)

_Schnitter...only one person calls me that._

The grip on him tightened as footsteps were heard in the main hall.

“They said to close in now. There’s been a change of plans.”

“Yes, sir.”

Two men in suits ran past the entrance of the branched off hallway and headed back the way Conan had been coming from. The hands imprisoning him loosened when the footsteps were far away and he spun around to face his attacker, only to widen his eyes in surprise.

“You!” He pointed an accusing finger at the familiar face and suit. “You’re the lemon cake thief!”

The man sighs as he raised his hands up dramatically as though he were disappointed in Conan. “Really, _schnitter_ , that is the first thing you focus on? You didn’t recognise me?”

“You thief! You knew I was going to take that last piece!”

“I could always buy you as much as you want if you’d just agree to come with me.”

“Shut up. I don’t want to deal with you right now, Viktor Homrighausen,” Conan hissed as he shifted into a defensive stance.

“So aggressive, my dear _schnitter_ ,” the man drawled, “and so cold. Haven’t I told you many times that you could just call me by my first name? There is no need to be so uptight. Relax. Take a deep breath.”

“I will perhaps attempt to relax when your ass is back in Germany.”

He snorted, his hands folded behind his back which only made Conan all the more tense. “Don’t worry, I’m here for business this time.”

“Business?”

“I believe you just came from it, no?”

Ah. Human trafficking. It made sense that the man would get involved; Japan was part of the territory that they controlled along with the rest of Europe and a good portion of Asia. Their territory had expanded exponentially after their current leader took over, not that they didn’t have the power and potential before. By attempting to start a business in human trafficking in Japan that was separate from the German organization was essentially a call for conflict. It seemed that Matsushita had a bit of luck after all. Had the Organization not ordered the hit on him, he would have met an even more miserable end at the hands of the leader of _Die Zugehörigkeit zu den Schatten_ , the man known as Viktor Homrighausen.

“Is this really the place to discuss about it?”

“Relax. There is nothing here that could threaten our safety. For now, at least.”

Conan knew that the man would not just let him go; he had somehow developed a strange obsession with the assassin after their first meeting, when the boy had just been six. Ever since then, Conan had always received the occasional call, email, or letter, along with gifts and of course, the offer for the boy to join him. The request was always turned down. Who knew what the man had in mind for him, and for once, Conan had let sleeping dogs lie. It was probably near half past midnight; the woman would likely wake up within the next hour. Better to satisfy the man’s unspoken request to converse with him right here and then than to deal with his antics later.

“You have five minutes, Viktor Homrighausen. Talk.”

“It’s a pity, _schnitter_ , that you nabbed the man before I could get to him. A blessing for him, perhaps, since the ever wonderful Shinigami-sama has spared him a crueler death. However, do I not deserve a word of thanks? You wouldn’t have been able to...do your deed without my aid, no? And had I not caught you then, you might’ve been detained by those two.”

So the blackout was his doing, Conan frowned with displeasure, and Viktor was right, being detained for any reason would have majorly messed up the operation. He didn’t like to be in debt to others, it was a weakness that could be exploited any time.

“...Thank you.” He grudgingly let the two words slip past his lips. There was no use in arguing with Viktor, he would only be led around in endless circles until he submitted. 

“Good boy. I suppose that wraps up my business as well for tonight,” the man mused, the ever present smile not even twitching on his face.

However, there was still something nagging Conan at the back of his mind. He bit his lip in frustration, his gaze never straying away from Viktor.

“Why did you personally attend this...business tonight? Why not send your underlings?”

“Why, to see you, of course,” Viktor chuckled, the strings of short, black hair on his wig shifting with the movement, “and to steal your beloved lemon cake.” He winked at the boy, making the other bristle with anger.

“And...the children? What is going to happen with them?”

“You’ve noticed, haven’t you? Those who are still lurking among the crowd. Since the target’s already been taken out, the trade will no longer continue and thus, my work here is done. What happens to the merchandise will be at their hands.”

There was a silent sigh of relief within him. The children would be safe in the hands of the police. They would be able to figure out something to help the children afterwards.

“I suppose that concludes everything. I will take my leave now.” He shifted to his right to exit the branch, only to stiffen when Viktor reached for his shoulder.

“ _Sehr schöen_ ,” the man murmured as his hand swept along the curve of the boy’s shoulder, the featherlight touch full of command. “Why not leave together, my _schnitter_? Frankly, I have lost interest in this event now that everything is over. Perhaps I could...hitch a ride?”

Conan’s eyes narrowed at the man’s suggestion. “I came here with someone to take my place. But you? With that person gone, your absence will be noted immediately.”

Viktor waved his hand off as though it were nothing -- and it probably was nothing, considering who he was. “I came here as a lowly businessman, one who has no record anyhow; I didn’t even enter through the front. I have stayed lowkey all night and there are no traces of my presence -- I have made sure of that.”

“...Do what you like.” The assassin muttered under his breath and continued on his way. From behind him, the man followed silently, but Conan knew that that smile hadn’t shifted one bit.

They made their way towards the back door; Matsushita had been extremely lax with the security in areas that he hadn’t planned on using and so it would be simple for Conan to escape into the forest. Once he was in the forest, it would be much harder for them to find conclusive evidence since the woman would already be there, unconscious.

The moonlight slipped in as he snagged his purse in between his arm and body, and twisted the door open, making sure to press extra hard with the fingers of both hands so that the police would be able to a good look at the fingerprints left and allowed Viktor to pass through first. He shut the door quietly behind him and started for the low fence, making sure to hitch his dress up as he prepared to jump over it.

He sensed the eyes on him but said nothing as he soared over the wooden structure, not even bothering to look back to see if the man had followed.

“Your legs are an aesthetic sight as always, my dear _schnitter_.”

“Keep your comments to yourself, Viktor Homrighausen.”

The earthen floor of the forest was littered with dead leaves and small twigs, but what remained of winter’s frozen breath kept it firm enough for Conan to move relatively fast enough in the high heels. Despite the darkness and lack of vision, he walked without hesitation for the highway, each twist and turn in the maze of a forest being mere details of the map he had committed to memory. The frigid, cold air that lingered created small puffs of visible condensation with each exhalation they let out, their even-paced breaths loud and clear in the otherwise silent forest.

The pale grey of the highway soon came into view and Conan sighted the familiar black Porsche waiting at the side of the rail with an even more familiar silverhead on the passenger side. He approached the side and opened the unlocked back door, pausing in his movements to gesture for Viktor to get in first. Let the man stay at Gin’s gunpoint for a few seconds -- he could suffer at least that much for wanting to hitch a ride, with Gin nonetheless.

As he had predicted, as soon as the man entered the car, Gin had whipped his Beretta 92 at him, the safety off and the gun ready for fire.

“What the hell is this?”

“Put the gun away, Gin. It’s Viktor Homrighausen. You can bitch at Vermouth later. Just drive, I arrived a bit later than I had expected. Vermouth didn’t give me the full information and everything will soon be a mess in the mansion.”

The Beretta 92 was trained on Viktor for what seemed like an eternity before Gin made the barest of a twitch to signal for Vodka to start driving and slowly drew the gun back. They were on a limited amount of time to escape before the police became alert of the murder. While the main force was currently surrounding the mansion, there was no guarantee that the small route Vermouth had searched up for them would not be blocked after the alert.

The black Porsche accelerated as they went down the mountain route, only barely slowing down for the treacherous turns. The trees started to thin out as they reached the end of the mountain route and entered the main highway where there were still a few cars going back and forth.

The awkward silence that had persisted was broken when Viktor let out a small chuckle causing both Gin and Vodka to stiffen. His cold but amused gaze slid towards Conan and the boy pointedly focused his attention outside, choosing to not face him. Frankly, he had had enough for the night.

“That’s not good, Conan-kun, you should be facing the person talking to you.”

The chilling voice made him shiver and he reluctantly brought his currently emerald orbs back onto the still disguised man. He met the dark, muddled brown surrounding black dots and encased with short black eyelashes; without the disguise, he knew that instead of that brown, he would have met a pale, ice-blue that never failed to hold his attention.

“Anyways,” the man drawled, “I knew the Organization was going to send someone tonight. It’s just a pity that I had not received previous notice that it was going to be you, my dear _schnitter_ , elsewise I would have prepared a much more entertaining competition.”

Conan remained silent but his eyes did not shift from the German. It was just a bit more, he could already sense the light from the city in the corner of his eye.

“Ah, Gin, it would be wonderful if you could drop me off in front of Poirot.” Viktor gave an offhanded order to the silverhead and Conan could sense the cold anger coming off from the other assassin. “Either way, it was a surprise to see you again so early, although I would have made a visit in a day or two after re-organizing the schedule.” He reached for Conan’s hand and ran his fingers over the smooth skin before he turned it over and started to gently pick at the fingerprint stickers. Conan felt the stickiness of the material pull at his fingertips as Viktor slowly removed them one by one. When he was done with the left hand, he silently asked for the right and the boy let his right hand pass over his lap to land in the waiting hands. The stickers were gathered into a small pile, layering one over another, and Viktor turned to face the front once again as he fetched a cheap lighter that had probably been purchased for his disguise and ran his thumb over the sparkwheel. A small flame sprang out and he held the stickers over it, watching passively as the flame devoured the material until there was nothing but small, black pieces of brittle curls left floating in the air.

Ah. Gin was going to be pissed.

There was a hard growl from the front but Viktor maintained a pleasant smile on his face. “Can’t have evidence lying around now, can we? Oh, I do so apologise for the little...mess I’ve caused but I’m sure it’s nothing a little cleaning won’t fix, right?” He turned back to Conan. “Well, since we’ve about an hour, how about I start helping you get rid of the disguise? I’m sure that Mr. High-and-Mighty here was told to bring you a change of clothes, no? I’m sure Vermouth would have been thoughtful enough to have prepared all the necessities for you.”

A black bag was suddenly tossed over the front seat to land in the middle of the back seat. The dull thud was all that was needed to ascertain what was most likely in the bag.

Viktor gave the silverhead a little frown but said nothing. Instead, he turned to Conan and motioned for him to turn around. The boy followed the command, turning so that he had a clear view of the window on his side with his back facing the man. From behind, he could hear the shuffle of Viktor getting closer and he couldn’t help but stiffen when fingers laced through the fake locks of hair. He breathed as calmly as he could as the wig was removed, followed by the cap, and his hair was ruffled gently so that it wasn’t as messy as it probably was every time he woke up or wore a wig. 

“Your hair is soft as always,” the man murmured quietly from behind, “which is why wigs are so incredibly useful. Tell me, _schnitter_ , how was the heist from the other night? The one with that ingenious thief?”

“Nothing much. It was the usual chase that any other member of the Task Force would have experienced.”

“Oh? Was that meeting on the rooftop a usual thing, too?”

“...Perhaps. I haven’t gone to many of his heists.”

Viktor chuckled lowly as he traced a finger along the graceful line from beneath the ear to the small collarbone where the necklace rested against. “If anything, your charm is still as mesmerising as always, _schnitter_.” The clasp of the necklace was released and the metal trailed lightly against the boy’s skin before it was thrown to one side with the wig and cap. The man did the same with the earrings then tapped Conan on the back to tell him to turn back around. He felt along the hairline then gently picked at the edges. In one smooth motion, he pulled off the face mask, leaving only the faint dampness of sweat and lipstick on the boy’s face. Viktor reached for the small pocket on the side of the bag and took out a small case that contained a few cotton pads wetted with makeup remover liquid. With quick, rapid succession, he ran the first cotton pad all over the assassin’s face then discarded it for a second which he ran over the lips.

Conan remained quiet, choosing not to reply. He held out his right hand just as Viktor took out the nail polish remover. The pale fingers pressed the cotton to his nails with a steady force as it went in circles, making sure to reach each corner and thoroughly clean away the remnants of the pale turquoise. The right hand was silently switched for the left.

“Tell me, when will you be visiting me again?”

“I don’t know.”

The answer was blunt and meant to avoid any inflection of emotion, yet Viktor still frowned at the boy. “Surely a vacation must be in order now and then, don’t you think?” He slips off the top of the dress to reveal the wrap that was around the pads, reaching inside the bag to find the provided t-shirt before unhooking the small metal hook and letting the fabric and pads pool to the boy’s waist. Conan took the t-shirt and slipped it on, taking the offered loose pants as he tossed over the wrap and pads and started wiggling the dress down his waist. The pants were thrown over his crotch but he knew it would do little to block his nether regions from the other man -- he was as persistent as Sonoko could be sometimes when it comes to ‘ _her_ KID-sama’. He didn’t bother removing the band since the pants were loose enough to slip over it but the dress and everything else, including the shoes were stuffed inside the bag, the heels exchanged for simple slippers. Tilting his head back, he retrieved the contacts with skill, something he had gotten used to after countless times of use, and made sure that they were stuck to the fabric of the dress. The zipper was then zipped tightly and the bag left as a barrier between the man and boy.

“Only when there is something to benefit,” he murmured back in reply as he faced the front again and rested his hands on his knees with his back straight.

“Perhaps. I suppose that is true in some sense. Perhaps I’ll have a word with Vermouth…”

Conan tensed, God forbid that woman get anymore crazy ideas in her head. 

“I have school right now. A long-term absence would not be beneficial for my records.”

“We could always coordinate an exchange program.”

“I would prefer to finish my studies in Japan.”

Viktor sighed, “Such stubbornness. I suppose I won’t force you. For now.”

The car entered the city as the bright lights from the shops illuminated the streets. People lined the streets in their dark coats and colourful umbrellas in hand, prepped for the possible rainfall. Restaurants were open-doored, the foreign shops having people at the doorway to usher in customers and the traditional ones shut with the simple shōji doors. There was a significant decrease in traffic as they neared the café and Vodka wisely chose to pull to a stop a couple metres away from the shop.

“Out.”

The gruff voice of the silverhead was more than clear of his hostility towards the man and Viktor wasn’t one to outstay his welcome, not that he was welcomed in the first place. 

“Well, time to leave. It was a pleasure to see you again, my _schnitter_. Perhaps we will meet again during my stay here.” He let his hand slide over the assassin’s fingers one more time, a lingering smile on his face as he opened the door and stepped out. Yet at the last moment, right before he slammed close the door, he leaned down with a teasing look in his eyes and whispered lowly in a playful tone.

It was faint but it was more than enough to make the boy whip his head around with slitted eyes.

“One more thing…I wasn’t the one to steal your cake.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And ta-da, who ate his cake? 
> 
> As usual, comments, feedback, criticism, go for it ^_^


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